The Lost Boys
by Loki God of Evil
Summary: A vampire story based on the 80s classic (The Lost Boys)
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

 _The coastal town of Santa Carla was a well known and idyllic place to live. It sat nestled amongst rugged cliffs and rolling green hills. The popular and busy beachfront of this idyll was accessible via the promenade at the far end the main fairground. A beautiful expanse of white sand and crystal blue seas awaited any and all who walked down the boardwalk._

 _Santa Carla itself was popular with young and old alike. Largely in thanks to the nouveau riche. It was a tax haven of sorts for semi-professionals and families._

 _This little town had everything to offer. Restaurants, cinemas, good nightlife even bingo halls for the older residents. A huge array of hobbies and pastimes for people to indulge in, anything to keep them happy and here._

 _The outdoors was what brought people here. The cliffs, scenic walks and the beaches were the most popular places. Of course, the young and old alike enjoyed sunning themselves when the weather was good. The younger ones, always preferring to flaunt their supple young skin in copious amounts. The elders, however, were simply happy with enjoying the sun and its accompanying heat for the additional vitamin D attained, as an adjunct to their medical supplements._

 _This place was almost perfect during the day. Nothing was remotely suspicious when the sun was shining._

* * *

 _Then there were the locals. Mostly all typical families and people of good standing. The same as any other town really, nothing odd about the place except for the huge and ever increasing signage that depicted hundreds of missing kids and teens that grew year in and year out._

 _It was just one of those things, the local PD swept it under the carpet as cold cases, archived as lost causes._


	2. Road trip

_Tuesday evening._

 _"Mum,_ please _. " Lloyd shook his head, avoiding the mocking face of Cole as he continued to taunt him for being mollycoddled._

 _"It's only for a few weeks, we'll be back in time for your birthday, I_ promise _." He kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her._

 _Cole was busy helping Jay load up the trailer with three dirt bikes. Kai was trundling behind carrying his and Nya's cases._

 _"And er mum, th-thanks for the new bike." He ran a hand through his blonde locks before placing his cap, removing his sunglasses from the cap's visor._

 _"Don't mention it, it was an early birthday present, being as you won't be here to celebrate it with your mother." She lightly admonished._

* * *

 _ **Friday morning**_

A dusty station wagon was trundling down the interstate doing a decent fifty miles-per-hour, ideal for an old lady and that one careful owner.

Fifty wasn't going fast by any stretch; if anything, it made the journey even more arduous than it already was. The passengers, six close friends known as brothers and sister, respectively, had been travelling from the most northern parts and had chosen to partake in some rest and recuperation from their strenuous daily lives.

The auburn-haired teenager stared wistfully out of the left side rear passenger window. Seeing waves cresting like white horses made him want to run into the sea and dive right in. Anything was better than being stuck in the damn car. Truth be told, they had been travelling for over two days now, not quite non-stop because two of the team seemed to favour Slurpees and caffeinated drinks which led to an increase in toilet breaks.

"Lloyd, do you actually know where we're going?" Jay whined. It was his third consecutive time of complaining since being stuck in the decrepit station wagon with his brothers in arms.

It hadn't fallen on deaf ears. Cole was quick to elbow him playfully. "Sheesh Zaptrap, rein it in huh. Told you, we'll get there when we get there."

"Yeah, doofus, Cole's right. Don't wanna be breaking the law the day we move into our new holiday accommodation." Kai gently chided. He promptly turned to smirk at his best friend who was driving with an exhausted look on his face.

"What I'm saying is that we don't want to be caught speeding. This might only be a temporary stay, that is unless we like it here." Lloyd added before taking a drink of warm water, cringing at the brackish taste of warm water. "And, not to mention I'm towing these motorbikes," he added.

Kai turned his head to make sure the three trials bikes were still strapped securely. "Uh huh, and before you say anything, there's some excellent dirt bike tracks to explore."

"What about a toilet break, can we stay off for one of those?"

"No!" All four spoke loudly, cutting Jay off from further complaint.

"Perhaps, Jay, next time it might be beneficial if you avoid the cola. Caffeine stimulates the kidneys to produce more urin..."

"Yeah, yeah okay Zane, thanks for the science lesson. But I didn't fancy buying a bottle of room heated water from the last gas station, so what choice did I have?"

"You could have had Slurpees, like me and Cole." Kai piped up and smiled with blue teeth, lips and tongue.

"Yeah could'a, but didn't trust the grubby machine you guys got it from." He shrugged his shoulders and slumped back into his seat. He so wished the sun would go down a little. The warm stuffy air inside the car was almost as warm as outside. It didn't make for the most pleasant journey.

"Could'a, would'a should'a..." Cole punched him again.

This time Jay rubbed his bicep with a tired groan. "What's so special about this place anyway? What's got you all so hyped up about it?" His face blatantly trying to hide his own excitement at what he could see for himself. They had just driven past another advertisement billboard that explained the hype in one large multicoloured picture.

Nya's voice soon cut in from the furthest back seat. She yawned first and stretched her aching neck. "Mmmmm, S-Santa Carla Beach Boardwalk is said to be the oldest surviving coastal amusement park."

Turning his head to the right, he caught Nya's tired eye gaze. "S-Sorry Nya, did I wake you?" Jay scratched his head sheepishly, looking uneasily at Cole.

She shook her head and smiled. "No, I'd been sleeping enough. If I sleep anymore I'll struggle to fall asleep tonight."

She had a point, Jay couldn't really argue with that. Insomnia was no fun for anyone.

She craned her neck, wincing, "You didn't wake me. Besides, Zane's knee isn't the softest pillow to snooze on, sorry, no offence Zane." She still smiled sweetly at him and ruffled his blonde hair.

"None taken," He replied with a small imperceptible grin.

"Brothers, and Nya," He said, turning to his side to wink. "A few blocks from the beach is Santa Carla's newly renovated downtown. It is a pedestrianised zone, and it sounds very pleasant for a night out."

"Sounds good enough for me." Kai sighed. Leaning back on his seat enough so he could raise his feet up and onto the dashboard.

"Lloyd, how much did ya pay for this clunker?" Cole asked as he looked at the stained upholstery with a sense of disdain. He absentmindedly wiped his sticky fingers on Jay's arm. The blue ninja looked like he was catching flies as he lay drooling like a dog with his head leaning against the car door.

As soon as he realised what Cole was doing, he was quick to move his arm. He didn't even want to know what the sticky residue was. "You filthy so and so..." Jay hissed and pulled his arm out of Cole's reach. "Weirdo!"

"So, how much was it?" Kai persisted, asking again over the sound of Jay's squeakily high intonation. The question, although not important was still largely unanswered. "Lloyd?"

"Too much, it's recently been serviced, new chassis and suspension, the whole lot. Mum helped me with the money, said it would be a good team bonding thing." He answered without breaking his bleary-eyed gaze from the road.

"Ya know what, it does its job though. Pretty neat though." Cole shuffled and nudged the back of Lloyd's seat."You want me to drive for a little bit? You look kinda beat!"

He shook his head and held the steering wheel tighter. "No, we're almost there, I just wanna actually _get_ there."

"H-hey Kai-" Jay piped up, "-put some music on. It's getting boring listening to you both droning on."

"Sure thing Zaptrap, anything to keep the resident _loud mouth_ happy." Kai shook his head with a smirk. He rolled his eyes and twiddled the knob of the old analogue radio. A few seconds it took him to realise that it was a much older radio as he just deafened his brother with white noise and crackles.

Jay however didn't rise to the baiting or the childish name calling. He had his own car tricks to play. Never would he willingly do this to the driver, the but the front passenger was fair game. It was a part of the punishment for laying dibs on the best seat. "Twist both knobs Kai...At the same time." Jay chuckled to himself, discreetly shaking his head. "Ya know, come in Tokyo sort of thing, twist them at the same time, opposite directions until you get a signal come through from the transmitters."

Jay grinned at Cole and watched as his black haired brother hid his snort of amusement. "Between your finger and thumbs, you need an example?"

Kai looked confused for a few seconds, cocking his head to the side. "Yeah, err...sure."

Jay nodded at Cole, and, at the same time, he placed his own hand over his mouth tightly to hide the fit of giggles that was about to burst out at what Cole was about to do.

Cole quickly wrapped his muscled arms around Kai's chest and before Kai could stop him Cole's deft fingers grasped hold of Kai's nipples. "Come in Tokyo." He whispered in Kai's ear.

He felt Kai tense up and he pulled away before his spiky haired brother could physically lash out.

As expected, Kai screeched, loudly and Lloyd ended up driving onto the wrong side of the road for a few seconds, correcting it quickly before the back end could slip out. "Damn it you two, if you can't behave, you'll be sitting on the roof rack."

Lloyd looked into his rear view mirror. "Hey Zane, Nya, you both okay in the back?"

They both nodded but remained quiet. Nya was still tired, and Zane was enjoying the scenery.

Cole sat back and high-fived Jay. Carefully and efficiently, the master of earth avoided every blow that Kai could throw in his direction. He even caught a well-timed punch in his own open fist which got some recognition from Nya in the back.

Now annoyed but still smiling at Cole and Jay's audacity, Kai at least knew how to tune the radio, but his nipples weren't very appreciative of the treatment just afforded to them.

Undeterred by the uncalled for treatment, he tried the same manoeuvre on both radio knobs. He was mildly surprised to know that the bent out of shape piece of crap coat hanger style aerial was capable of picking up any signal, let alone a good tune.

"Yuck, what is that godawful smell?" Cole crinkled his nose in disgust.

Jay shrugged his shoulders again. "That's the sea air, it's invigorating!"

"Pfft Jay, it smells like death to me!" Cole had mumbled to himself, somewhat under his breath.

A slow beat started on the radio. At first it sounded mostly acoustic as it was just guitar chords and Jay immediately sighed. Then the lyrics began.

"People are strange, right?" Kai agreed, nodding his head whilst listening to the lyrics as they spilled from the speakers of the old rust bucket that Lloyd had wasted an undisclosed amount of money on.

"Ooh, cool bridge!" Jay's eyes widened as they slowed down to fifty. "Look, Zane, it's a suspension bridge!"

"It is the Lion's Gate Bridge, states it quite clearly on the map," Zane replied, passing the visitor pamphlet to the middle row of seats where Cole and Jay were seated.

Cole passed it straight to Jay, completely disinterested in the literature, as he wanted to see it physically. None of the teasing pictures ever worked with him. "Looks better than that rickety one we just passed," Cole mumbled. It was evident by his disinterest that he was more interested in the music and the change in scenery than he was by the appearance of a bridge.

Jay thought it was an engineering masterpiece and just stared at it in awe. Zane too, although the nindroid was calculating how much the bridge weighed without cars and at rush hour, the tensile strength of each bound metal threaded cable.

The sharp, craggily cliffs and lush greenery of the rolling hills had soon made way for perfectly trimmed and manicured grass that lined the paths which lined the roads. All of which began to lead into the main town, which looked more like a small city from a distance.

A huge sign read "Welcome to Santa Carla". It was a simple painted picture that depicted a small but quaint town. The picture itself looked more like an old fishing town than a place that housed some vast container ships, amongst other things.

Jay turned around and shot Cole a worried look as they both saw the graffiti painted in bright red words on the back of the sign. The worrying thing was that this town's populace wasn't going up, it was going down.

The message on the back simply read 'Murder capital of the world'.

Cole shrugged at Jay, he was speechless, neither really knew what that meant. Well, they had an idea but didn't really feel like it was a good conversational piece. If anything it would cause more tension.

After a few more miles, houses with white picket fences and primrose lined paths became visible. Lloyd hefted the heavy steering wheel and pulled off Highway twenty-two, wishing he'd asked for a bit more money from his mum to at least get a car with power steering.

He slowly pulled it onto a side road, checking in his mirror that their cargo was still secured in the U-Haul trailer. The last thing they needed was the loss of their personal belongings and the few motorbikes they'd brought with them.

The road sign ahead read 'Ocean Boulevard, Historic quarter, Santa Carla Boardwalk'.

"We're here guys..." Lloyd grinned and slowed down to a respectable thirty miles-per-hour as they drove down Ocean Boulevard. "Welcome to Santa Carla, our holiday destination for a few weeks at least, maybe slightly longer."

"Welcome to Santa Carla….murder capital of the world," Jay mumbled to himself.

All eyes were staring out of the window at the sights.

The smells wafting in made Cole's mouth water, cotton candy, doughnuts, funnel cake and waffles. Jay stared at the fairground whilst Lloyd stared wistfully at a comic book store, and Kai stared at the high wooden roller coaster with a crooked grin.

The rickety carriages climbed higher, almost in an attempt to touch the pure blue sky. Jay and Cole both caught the eyes of a few females as they passed by in their rust bucket. Jay shied away from it but Cole seemed to lap it up.

Kai turned slightly in his seat and finally removed his feet from the dash. "So, uh, when can we go to the fairground?"

Being the first to ask removed some of the pressure of Jay. He was about to ask the exact same thing. He frowned when Lloyd pulled off the beaten track onto a barely there road. This road looked like it hadn't been ridden on for years.

"Maybe tomorrow night, we need to settle in here first, get some food, unpack, that sorta stuff," Lloyd stated. "Come on, this'll be great fun. We need this break, right guys? Don't we need to find ourselves?"

"We need to find our bearings, as they say. Rest and recuperation is good for the mind and body." Zane helpfully supplied.

"Find our bearings!" He frowned, "-where's here, _exactly?_ " Jay quizzed with his hand's palms upwards. He largely ignored what his brothers had just said, shaking his head slowly when his eyes finally fell on the building they were slowly approaching. "Oh hell no! We're staying here?!"

Lloyd chuckled breathlessly, "yup!"

The car seemed to cope okay with the long grass, and luckily, said grass wasn't bone dry otherwise the heat from the old diesel engine would have caused a wildfire to start.

Lloyd grinned when he saw the mostly boarded-up old wooden house, it was just as Wu had mentioned, other than it being huge and plenty big enough for all six occupants. It was surrounded by fields and typically off that beaten track; meaning no unwelcome visitors.

Their elder Sensei had mentioned a friend who had lived out here in solitude. He was to be their guest, guide and general house person, someone to lay down the house rules, at least until they found their own place to stay if they planned on staying that long.

Even though it was really only Lloyd and Kai that could immediately see the house, his excitement was clear for all to take notice in. "This place looks epic, just what we need, eh guys, and, er, Nya?"

Jay raised his scarred eyebrow at the house that Lloyd had just pulled into. He subconsciously turned his nose up but refused to utter a word, although it wasn't anywhere as nice as the ones they had just passed. This one was as decrepit as the car was and likely riddled with an infestation of 'el cockroacha'.

Both Jay and Cole exchanged the same unsure glance as before. Heck, Motel six would have been better than this place, even with the addition of the front door being repeatedly kicked down.

Jay shuddered slightly at the carvings and the mangy, weathered taxidermy of various animals that stood on the weather battered porch.

The previous owner had left quickly for the day because his empty bottles of alcohol were still next to his deck chair. All of his ornate yet macabre carvings were still standing proudly in the front yard. A front yard that was _hideously_ overgrown.

Lloyd shifted the gear into neutral before pulling the keys. "We'll trek into town tomorrow since there's an open air concert on the boardwalk." He fussed around with the glove box.

His rustling around eventually found what he was looking for. "Tim Capello is playing. It's soft rock sorta music, you up for that?"

"Yeah sure, why not sounds like fun, right Jay?"

"And Lloyd, there's a comic book store on the same boardwalk." Cole winked his eyebrow.

* * *

 _ **BETA'd by Circus4Apsycho8**_

 _ **Thanks very muchly xx Loki xx**_


	3. Friday afternoon

**_Friday late afternoon_**

Lloyd was the first to exit the station wagon with his bottle in hand, stretching his tired, achy legs as he did so. It was evident to see that the blonde-haired teenager was completely worn out from driving. All he wanted now was to jump into a nice, refreshing swimming pool, hot pizza and maybe root beers on ice, but that would likely have to wait. "Long drive, eh?" He muttered to no one in particular, getting a few mumbled agreements in response.

The first thing Lloyd noticed was the oppressive heat. The second he opened the door, he was hit by a wave of warmth that far surpassed that of the car's interior. There were no doubts from any of his brothers or Nya, since they felt it too, Kai seemed to revel in it though, there were no complaints from him.

"We're staying here, huh?" Kai spoke softly as he joined Lloyd's side.

Lloyd casually glanced at his spiky-haired brother-in-arms. The red flame t-shirt wearing teen wasn't even sweating. He was smiling, lapping it all up like the sun was providing him with an energy unseen by all others.

Both Lloyd and Kai could hear a few audible groans when Jay and Cole exited from their respective sides. The heat out here was stifling for most, so it was a good thing they were so close to the coastline. The beachfront was only a short five minutes away by car or bike, and twenty by the local public transport.

Removing his cap, Lloyd ran his hands through his damp locks before placing it again. He grabbed his almost empty bottle of water, glugging the remnants down his parched throat. "Well, we finally made it." He said with a smile.

"Yeah, we did. I would've driven, ya know. You didn't have to do it all on your own." He winked and nudged his blonde best friend. "Unless you're tryin' to prove a point."

Lloyd only shrugged. Had he thought more about either offer of respite from driving, he would have gladly let them drive some of the way. It was, after all, a second-hand car, there was nothing remotely new about it. In fact, any of them could have driven it, they all knew how. He just chose to do it himself because it would have been too time-consuming and stressful to draw straws.

He was still leaning heavily against the side of the wagon. Not happy enough to attempt to walk just yet. Lloyd wanted to get used to the feeling of standing up because he knew that the minute his head would hit anything soft, he'd likely fall asleep.

"Hey, uh, guys?"

Lloyd could hear a high pitched squeak attempting to catch anyone's attention. Kai didn't budge from his position against the side of the car, and both instantly recognised the voice.

"A little help here!"

It was Jay's voice, Lloyd slowly craned his neck. He looked toward the trailer and sure as night follows day; Jay was there. The auburn-haired teenager was struggling with one of the motorbikes. The bike itself was tangled with another. The bungee cord hooks that kept them tethered together was entangled onto the spokes of Cole's black dirtbike.

And all three were at risk of toppling onto the ground.

Lloyd, being quick to act despite the heat had grabbed the handlebars of the black bike. Righting it before it had a chance to cause a domino effect, thereby pinning Jay underneath the lot. He prevented the inevitable, choosing to enquire where the black clad ninja had gone. "Where's Cole?" He hissed through gritted teeth.

Jay was still struggling to wrench the entrapped foot peddle. One hand on his bike's handlebars, he looked up at Lloyd with a tired smile and a slowly flushing face. "He's just taken the cases towards the front porch." He said breathlessly.

"You really that eager to explore this place today?" Lloyd asked with some curiosity, considering Jay seemed just as tired as he did.

"Yeah, I guess just got a burst of energy from somewhere." He replied. "Being cooped up in a car is exhausting. Haa- just the feeling of freedom as soon as I got out and I was like…'Let's go exploring'."

"I think we all need a good night's rest before we can even contemplate exploring. Besides, we gotta wait for the owner to arrive. Sure there's gonna be some ground rules." Kai interjected as he joined Lloyd's side.

Zane and Nya were busy walking around the front grounds to the old wooden brown house. Nya was trying but failing to hide her disappointment by crinkling her nose. Both were taking in all the weathered carvings and the unfinished ones that looked more kindling than artwork.

"Kai's right," Lloyd nodded and unloaded his bike, "We'll do it tomorrow morning after breakfast because I'm far too tired even to contemplate taking a jaunt into town," he looked back down at Jay, "sorry bro."

A musical horn was the first thing that caught their attention, followed by an ever increasing dust cloud and the unmistakable sounds of an old diesel engine.

Cole had quickly re-joined Jay's side and helped to unload the remains of the cargo from the trailer. He smiled and cocked his head to the side at the appearance of an old NATO green army style jeep that pulled into view. "This the owner that Wu told us about?"

Jay lifted his head at the coolness, seeing Cole's sudden appearance and the grateful shade he was providing. "Guess so. What's his name again?" He pulled the bungee cord from underneath where it had somehow caught on the bike chain, finally freeing it. "Cole?"

"No idea, Jay. Lloyd arranged this, remember?"

The old balding man got out of his jeep slowly, followed by a husky dog. The old man didn't even contemplate the fact that he had guests because at that moment he hadn't even introduced himself. Lloyd thought it must a be a quirk of his personality; Wu had mentioned something along the lines of him being a man of solitude since his wife had died eight years prior.

Lloyd waited until the older man approached before introducing himself first.

"Hello Sir, my name's Lloyd, and these are my brothers and Nya. We're students of Sensei Wu and Misako Garmadon." He offered his hand, relieved when the old man took it gratefully.

Some of their combined thoughts about this man was the undeniable fact that he reminded Cole, Kai and Lloyd of Jay's dad, Ed. He wore almost the same leather overalls, with grease spots. The only difference being this old guy had a sparse amount of gray which was kept in check with a rolled up purple bandanna. He had a sparse amount of facial hair, a goatee and moustache ensemble, and he wore red aviator sunglasses with a fisherman's hat, complete with fishing hook flies for unintended decoration. Even the old car he'd turned up in had the same, if not similar, car horn of 'La Cucaracha', but a somewhat off-key version of it.

"Name's Donald," He said with a chuckle. His handshake was firm as he gripped Lloyd's hand in his own. "Students of Wu eh? You'll fit right in around here."

He motioned them all over to the front door and unlocked it with the one simple key. It was apparent by their expressions that they were mildly surprised to find that it wasn't all that secure.

"How is the old man, haven't seen him for almost ten years?" He said. His playful, friendly tone was increasing with every word spoken.

"He still growing that damn flycatcher?" He asked with a grin, observing the blonde boy, noting certain similarities. He was sure it would start to ring some bells of recollection in his confused mind, sooner rather than later anyway.

Lloyd was the only one to answer the question because his brothers were busy looking around the place. He noted that his brothers and Nya were looking around the interior of the reception and hallway with a mixture of intrigue and apprehension. "He's doing well, keeps us all busy training." He half smiled and shrugged.

"Sends his apologies for not being able to come, too." Lloyd was slightly embarrassed at admitting that. "He had prior engagements to attend." He mumbled, though for the best part, what he had said was the truth, "And yes, he's still growing the beard and moustache."

Donald grinned happily, "don't mind a little stubble, gives the face a little definition, eh?" He said as he rubbed his scant facial hair. "Not a huge fan of the long stuff."

Lloyd simply shrugged his shoulders, unsure where to go with that conversation. He swiftly turned it to his mum instead. "Misako sends her love. My mum…" He added sheepishly.

Donald's eyebrow rose. He turned his head to the side as they walked through to the sitting room on their impromptu tour of his homestead. "So you're Misako's boy, eh?" He grinned widely. "Lovely woman, she got on real well with my Diane."

The sitting room and reception hallways were adorned with Native American inspired horse blankets and woven tapestries hanging on the wood panelled walls. The staircase handrail and balustrade were a mixture of treated, stained dark wood, complete with knots and cracks to give character to the place.

Wooden shutters were fitted to each floor to ceiling window, letting in an ample amount of light to the dark wood interior. Short and tall pigskin and rawhide lampshades stood everywhere in between the furniture, all lit and on timers.

"Misako was saddened to hear of her passing, Donald." His gaze looked to the wooden floor, unable to sustain eye contact with the elder when the subject of a family tragedy was the topic at hand.

"It was over eight years ago, mind." He replied, patting Lloyd gently on the shoulder. "I keep myself busy around here now." His blue eyes roved to the other house guests, who were evidently wanting to explore for themselves. "I believe introductions are in order?"

"Sorry Donald. This is Cole, Jay, Zane, Kai and Nya." He motioned and pointed to each as each respectfully shook the proffered hand, standing back to give a respectable space to the elder in their midst.

"Good, good." He finally said to the group as a whole.

Each room was filled and decorated with a vast array of taxidermy creatures. The creatures had been preserved, stuffed and mounted with varying degrees of success. The multitude of eight-pronged stag antlers showed that Donald was likely a seasoned hunter with a rifle and carried out taxidermy as an adjunct to his main hobby. At least this preserved his kills, allowing him the chance to display them as trophies that he proudly displayed around his home.

Jay was the first to notice but didn't want to say it until the old man was out of earshot. He was sure that Lloyd and Kai would notice sooner rather than later.

Donald walked through the curtained archway into the lightest room of the house before turning to face the group once more. " _Rules_!" He shouted. "We got some rules around here."

The kitchen was by far the lightest. A complete contrast to every other room on the ground floor. White, faded shaker cabinets ran the entire length of the room, only separated by a deep porcelain Belfast style sink and a large range cooker. He walked to the Frigidaire and ignored the fact that the small freezer door was broken.

Wrenching open the fridge door, everyone peered in. "Second shelf is mine." He said.

Jay chuckled at the sticker 'Old Fart' that had been placed onto of a piece of cardboard and haphazardly fastened to the shelf above.

"That's where I keep all my root beers." He said while pointing at the six remaining brown bottles. "And my double thick Oreo cookies."

Jay's mouth was watering profusely. Reluctantly, he swallowed the last few drops of his tasteless drink but eyed the frosty cold beverages with a hint of jealousy.

"We're gonna need a summer job or something," Cole whispered into his ear.

Jay leaned in to hear better. "How long we planning on staying here? Thought it was only gonna be a few weeks?"

"Depends, it could be for the summer duration and if that's the case, then we'll more than likely need summer jobs."

"Nobody touches the second shelf but _me_ ," Donald stated clearly. Pointing at himself and closing the door securely.

He slowly began to walk out of the kitchen, and Lloyd followed in hot pursuit.

"Now, another rule around here…" He started and paused. "I want you to pay close attention."

Donald's voice was quickly fading out to almost nothing. Jay and Cole were taking the opportunity to open the two closed sliding doors to the rear of the sitting room. They stared in horrified fascination at the sheer amount of macabre carvings and dangerous antlers that remained on the table.

"Like a scene from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre…" Cole mumbled, and Jay chuckled in response.

Either Donald travelled to far off places, or he managed to get hold of some Thomson's Gazelle antlers because they were crudely pointing outwards towards them. And that would be a painful thing to run into in the dark.

It also looked like Donald was mid-way through mounting most of these, even a snake was being mounted, although it looked a little too reticulated to resemble a decent interpretation of what it used to resemble. But there was no mistaking; this was his crafting room, his private sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of the stresses of town life.

The elder's voice became louder as he entered a side room door that led to his crafting room. "Don't touch anything. Everything is exactly where I want it to be…"

"Zane's OCD might be a bit of a problem then," Jay muttered back at Cole. The two stood still by the sliding doors as Lloyd, Kai, Nya and Zane appeared from the opposite side room door.

Jay suddenly cleared his throat, "Donald, excuse me for asking this but, uhm…" He paused and recomposed his thoughts. "Is Santa Carla the murder capital of the world?"

Donald had walked out of his crafting room, straight towards Jay and Cole. The old man closed the doors securely behind him once the rest of the group was assembled in the sitting room.

"Ahh, well. There's some bad elements around here." His face was straight, no humour apparent, just a strained look of knowing more than he should.

"Pfft, elements!" Cole scoffed.

"Wait, hold on a second. Are you telling me that we've moved to the murder capital of the world?" Jay replied, dumbstruck.

Donald turned to observe him. "Well, let me put it this way…" His head cocked to the side, again no smile on his rugged face. "If all the damned corpses buried around here was to stand up all at once, then Santa Carla would have one helluva population problem."

Cole's mouth dropped open, and Jay closed it for him, both were shocked by his honesty.

Donald had then gone on to talk about the postal delivery on Wednesdays. Something about the mailman delivering a TV guide.

 _That_ got Jay's attention and he quickly turned to face the old man as he spoke. "And stay outta here." He mumbled and began to close the double sliding doors of his crafting room.

Jay's hands quickly grasped one door. "Wait, do you have a TV?" He asked inquisitively.

"No." Came the short reply. "I just like to read the TV guide."

Jay's face showed his confusion, and his eyebrows were knitted together. He quickly removed his hand from the door, not that he would think that Donald would slam the door with his hand still attached. He didn't really know the old man all that much to trust him yet.

"So no TV then?" He asked again, just to be certain, to clarify.

"If you buy a TV guide then you don't need a TV." He said with a simple shrug as the doors closed together with a small click.


	4. Friday night,party night

**Guest: Ooh, see in some vampire movies, the sun is their enemy. In the Lost Boys, this still stands true, but they have fires lit around them all the time. In their cave, on the beach during the feeding frenzy. Kai would certainly be a force to be reckoned with if he was turned as would Cole.**

 **Only weaknesses for these vamps are Garlic (unless the vamp had been invited in and across the threshold). And of course, the obligatory Holy water and Stakes.**

 **Also to add: the actor who played Grampa, was nameless so I just chose Donald.**

* * *

 _ **Friday night**_

A few pizzas and root beers had been ordered and consumed during the space of the early evening. And, being the model houseguests, each had offered to tidy up their mess, trying to make that good first impression, at least for the first twenty-four hours.

Bedroom allocations had been sorted before tiredness could claim them all. Donald had been quick to give them a tour of the upstairs, citing that the end of the right side corridor was his bedroom and own personal bathroom. The other rooms were free to whomsoever claimed them first.

Nya chose the box room, being the only single room in the house. She didn't want to offend or even broach the subject of sharing a room with her boyfriend so for the time being, she would be happy with these room allocations. This was a holiday, after all, she'd have plenty of time with Jay over the next few weeks.

Jay and Cole had been given the front bedroom, two single beds and an adjoining bathroom. It was quite handy for Cole, the room seemed to suit his much darker personality. The room, although large in comparison to Kai and Lloyd's was like a teenage boy's bedroom. Dark, stuffy and a little smelly, although the pungent aroma was quite possibly the smell of musty stuffed animals and old football jockstraps.

This had obviously been a dumping ground room, judging by the tattered curtains and the various sun stained marks on the floor. "I get dibs on the bed nearest the wall." Cole was quick to state.

"Aww, Cole…." Jay whined.

That choice left him with the bed nearest the shared ensuite and the hallway door. Not that he was scared or anything. "I don't like sleeping near the door." He mumbled, begrudgingly placing his case on his bed as he began to unpack.

"Why, you scared of the boogie man?" Cole teased.

Jay smirked and threw a small scatter cushion that rebounded of Cole's head and landed on the floor. "No, it's just…uhm, the drafts." He looked mildly embarrassed but kept to that reason.

"Snooze, you lose, bro." Cole gently chided and threw the scatter cushion back.

Cole hadn't even attempted to begin unpacking. His wheeled trolley case was still next to the bedroom door. The black case looked mostly battered, largely in thanks to the fine smattering of dust from the outside and the long road journey it had taken to get here.

He stripped out of his clothes down to his shorts and climbed into the single bed, "Dude, you got, like five minutes before the fuse box switches off."

Jay looked at him with a smirk. He thought that Donald had been telling a bit of a white lie pertaining to switching off the electricity at eleven. "Yeah, okay." He shook his head and continued, removing his clothes from the case, folding the beach outfit for tomorrow and placing it on the end of his bed.

Tiredness soon began to affect him and he climbed into his own bed, keeping his back to the door with the cover pulled up high over his head. Only his blue eyes could be seen.

Sure as hell, eleven pm rolled around and bang on the hour the lights went out. It was so dark, Jay couldn't even see his hands. It was eerily silent, save for Cole's breathing. He was immensely grateful for having a friend in the same room. Even if that friend was breathing deeply and likely falling into a rapid sleep pattern.

"Night Cole." He murmured before closing his eyes, gripping his blanket tightly.

They were all fast asleep before midnight, much to the relief of Donald who hadn't had company for over eight years. He wasn't used to the noise that a houseful of guests provided. He just kept the conversation to a minimum and tottered around trying to keep himself busy, answering questions when necessary.

* * *

 ** _Saturday morning_**

When they woke in the morning, they all got a better view of their location. Lloyd, Kai, and Zane were in the much lighter back bedroom. A room filled with floor-to-ceiling shuttered walk in wardrobes, some of which were still filled with stuffed animals. A wooden bunk and a double bed stood pride of place in this room, both pushed up against opposite walls. Quite a cosy room with a simple frosted glass door to the shared bathroom was the only other thing in this room. Their back bedroom overlooked the rear garden and further in the distance, additional rolling hills. All that could be seen from the back, other than some well fenced in segments of garden, was the huge expanse of long meadow grass. Further in the distance were a couple of untethered horses. Both mares were munching on the long, dry grass as Donald's malamute husky ran amongst them, seemingly undeterred that he could have been trampled.

Lloyd had to admit the dog was cute, even though he wasn't what he would consider a dog person. They never had enough time to keep actual pets when they lived with Wu and his mother.

"Plans for today?" Kai questioned, mumbling from the top bunk.

"Go out on the bikes and then we can go to the beach front, have a look around this place!" Lloyd suggested.

Zane could be heard humming a familiar tune as he stood in the adjoining bathroom. The spiky blonde poked his head around the frosted door with a mouthful of foam. "It sounds like a good plan. I have already packed my beach bag for the outing."

He disappeared behind the door again just as quickly and spat out his toothpaste before wiping his face.

"You never fail to amaze me, Zane, why am I not surprised in the slightest that you've probably already emptied your case, too?" Kai jumped nimbly from his top bunk and grabbed his t-shirt from the day before pulling it over his toned body.

"I aim to amaze and _surprise_!" Zane stated with a shrug, flashing his immaculate salt white teeth.

"Hidden talent, more likely," Kai nudged Lloyd in the ribs.

All three turned to face the door. They could hear movement coming from behind it. The sounds of a yawning male could be heard clearly.

"Come on, you three." Jay hollered from the doorway to their bedroom. "Cole's already outside prepping the bikes."

"Don, can I call him that? Anyway, Don is going to the Widow Johnson's house." He opened the bedroom door a crack, peeking his auburn sleep-mussed hair through the door, a huge grin plastered on his face. "I think Nya mentioned that Don was gonna be spending time with the widow today and quite possibly tonight."

He winked his eye a few times, Kai and Lloyd both catching on to what he was insinuating. "So we can have a late one tonight?"

He was just about to turn and leave them to dress in semi-privacy when he suddenly remembered. "Oh, and Cole and Nya have cooked breakfast. And, we need to do a food shop."

He shouted the rest from the hallway. "We might need to look for a summer job too, could do with some extra cash!"


	5. Saturday morning

_**Saturday morning**_

Just before the old man left the house in the morning, he looked around, mildly flustered in his confused state. He was evidently looking for a nondescript item, and was unable to name what he was looking for as he looked around with a furrowed brow.

Cole had noted that Donald was looking high and low. "You want some help finding something?" He tried to be helpful, although the more he thought about it the more he realised that he'd not be able to find anything here, either.

Donald was dressed in a neat but old style dress shirt, and he teamed it with his regular sun faded jeans and leather boots. The same style twisted bandana atop his head, this time it was red and matched his aviators perfectly. "Just a little something to spruce me up a bit."

Cole looked around himself. He could be cruel and play a prank on the old man by offering the nearest thing to him; a bottle of Windowlene spray that stood by the windowsill.

The smell could certainly be passed off as an alternative to aftershave. But at the last minute, he thought better and instead reached into his backpack. He quickly retrieved a can of deodorant. "This do okay?" He offered and passed it across with a smug grin on his face.

After a few minutes of primping and preening, Donald had walked out of his house with a couple of eager nineteen-year-olds following him. Cole and Zane were hot on his heels, eager to find out more about this relative hermit that Wu had mentioned. Kai was still cleaning up after breakfast and Nya was gathering a list of things they'd need for the coming weeks. The only ones who were outside in the mid-morning sun were Cole and his brothers. They had all gone over the plans for the day. First order of the day was exploration, next was a picnic, then looking for a job followed by a night at the fair.

Each person had chosen their ideal summer job based on their personality, they just had to bite the bullet and apply for the ones offered. Sucking up to the fact that the wages might be pretty low for the number of hours they'd be working. But it was summer and these jobs didn't always pay well since they were going to be temporary. Not a permanent thing. Heck, if it was permanent the boys would be dressed to the nines whilst trying to impress.

Outside, Jay was busy using WD40 on his pride and joy. His modified 400cc blue trials motorbike was due to be ridden today. It was something he hadn't had the chance of doing for months.

Lloyd, on the other hand, was suiting up in his green and white racing leathers. This time, the blonde teen was foregoing his brightly coloured leather pants. Instead, opting for cut off beige Bermuda's. Quite an odd ensemble but he didn't much care for fashion when he was riding.

Cole was peering over Zane's shoulder. They were both listening in to what Donald was saying. Neither teenager knew that Donald had another car because he was so often seen in his army style Jeep, heck the thing was made during WWII, it was likely used in the war too, judging by the style and khaki green colour of it.

Donald was briefly showing them his car, but the truth was, he rarely used it. The 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner with a retractable hardtop and whitewall tires was staying put in his wooden shed, under a tarpaulin. It would again, remain largely undriven and otherwise immaculate under its dust sheet. But this fact didn't detract from the grin on his face as he turned the key.

All cylinders were firing up in the classic car, it sounded amazing despite its age. "You gotta let it warm up a little." He said quite loudly, his voice was heard as crisp as a bell, as he opened the pipes up and revved it loudly.

Zane nodded his head at Donald's reasoning. The engine sounded so crisp. Perhaps it was in need of an oil change, he wasn't sure. He'd love to pop the hood and look though, not that Donald would let him.

His voice raised a little over the sound of the revving engine, "Are ya going into town?" Cole inquired.

Suddenly the car engine switched off and Donald made an effort to get out of the car. "Are we having fun or what?" He said with a cheeky grin, looking back at Zane and Cole as he spoke.

Both brothers looked at each other then back at Donald with a look of confusion painted onto their faces. "So you're not going into town then?" Cole quizzed with a deepening frown.

He chuckled in response to the questioning, shaking his head, "And that's as close to town as I like to get," Donald had said with no hint of a lie.

He didn't even laugh, he was apparently deadly serious. He hopped out of the car without so much as a groan, closing the door with a satisfying click and a delicate pat to the car bonnet. "See ya later and be careful, I'll be back tonight, maybe tomorrow if I'm lucky."

Cole wasn't sure what to think of this old man but he watched him with intrigue as it took him no effort to climb up into his Jeep. Donald gave a simple wave and played the off-key horn of La Cucaracha again. "Strange old man, what's so bad about this place that's got him so antsy at going into town?"

"You guys coming?" Cole asked as he placed his helmet and fastened it securely. He quickly lifted his visor to breathe as the heat increased exponentially, giving the feeling of a greenhouse and sauna. His voice slightly muffled but still clear and loud over the sound of the bike engines, "We thought Don was going into town but the mad, old coot never goes near town, apparently."

"Map's been marked out," Jay mumbled through his helmet. His mouth was partially obscured but he still wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's waist, pulling her flush against him being that he couldn't kiss her at that exact moment. "Drive carefully Zane, this thing is a beast now. We put new suspension rods in this morning."

Luckily, with a little help from Donald, Zane, Jay and Cole. The land cruiser had been jacked up and ready for the off road adventure to what Donald had called 'Hudson's bluff'. It was a place off the beaten track, perfect for off-roading and green-laning.

Jay gave a final wink to Nya before placing his mirrored goggles. They fit perfectly within his visor less motocross helmet. "I'm ready, Lloyd, you good to go?" He asked as he placed his gloves.

Lloyd nodded nervously and followed Jay. He watched as the pro biker kick-started his blue and silver custom built 400cc.

He did the same, taking a deep breath. His bike had an electric start, no kick start pedal to manipulate. "Breathe Lloyd, we're not expecting you to jump logs and crevices just yet. Just stay behind Jay, I'll bring up the rear."

Kai and Zane both shook their heads in amusement, Nya did too. They were all slowly climbing into the old station wagon. It was a rust bucket, plain and simple. A 1968 Toyota Land Cruiser and Zane had chosen to drive it. Lloyd was fairly sure that no one else wanted to drive it because it looked like a Grandma car, but it was reliable at least, the previous owner had certainly taken care of it.

"Yeah, and we'll meet you slow pokes at Hudson's bluff!" Kai hollered and shut the passenger side door.

"We shall have the food set up for when you arrive, that is, if you do not get lost first," Zane said with a grin. He gave them no time to reply as he drove off first into the Meadowlands at the back of Donald's homestead. Leaving a dust cloud in their wake, Cole shook his head in response.

"Jay, you still sure about the video and games store? You think that'll pay well?" Lloyd asked. He was hoping that one of his brothers would at least apply for the comic book store since they were advertising two vacancies.

"Nah, I'm reckoning the video store would be cool. We could even get a half price TV and a discount on chart topping movies." Jay shrugged his shoulders, revving his engine loudly. He still wasn't sitting on his bike, it didn't really have a seat, just a thin amount of padding. "I bet Cole might go for the comic book store though, or Kai."

Jay was smiling but Lloyd was unable to see it, he couldn't see Jay's face at all. Just his own reflection in those cool mirrored goggles.

"Come on, let's go already," Jay yelled and opened up the accelerator on his bike, slipping the pedal into first, "Lloyd?"

Lloyd followed suit. "Let's do this."

" _Finally_ ," Cole mumbled from the back on his black motocross 125cc.


	6. Dirty stop outs

_**Saturday night**_

All the brothers and Nya, respectively, had seen the sheer wall of wanted posters.

Cole and Jay had felt the collective shudder of their brethren, and additionally, the sorrow that complete strangers afforded not only to the wall, but any available surfaces that could be used to post about their missing loved ones.

"So this is the missing wall?" Jay enquired with a loose shrug of his shoulders as he bent down to get a better look.

He answered his own rhetorical question, "Yeah, I was told about this from Max at the video store, he was the one that interviewed me. Quite a nice man really, genuine, ya know?"

Cole had bent down to join his auburn-haired brother. "Well, at least you were lucky enough to get a job. When do you start?"

"Tonight actually, they're really short staffed. Cash in hand, too!" He grinned. "Max bargained with me though, said I could mingle first then join start later, at like ten or something."

Cole looked happy, but there was something else there. "Oh, still cool though. How ya gonna get home tonight?"

"My bike, of course."

Even at night time the 'Missing wall' could be seen as clear as day, thanks in part to the lit flood lights that surrounded the beach front and the ever glowing fairground glass bulbs that cast a warming glow on everything else.

The sheer scale of WANTED posters completely covered one whole side of a large wall and an adjacent advertisement board, as well as a few palm trees. New ones were being stuck over older ones in quick succession. The older posters and missing people had obviously been written off as irretrievable and a hopeless cause or cold case. It made Jay and Cole think back to the welcome board they had both seen upon arriving here a few days ago.

Jay, still bent down to get a further idea, the dates were going back at least ten years. Faces ranging from young to old alike. "Some of these are so young…" He mumbled and watched as a female placed a newly glued poster on top of a weathered one.

She cast him a look of understanding, thinking that perhaps he too was one of the affected families, having been struck by this, as yet, unknown phenomenon of accruing missing people.

He felt uneasy with her sombre gaze. He said the first thing that came to his mind. Luckily for him, it was the right thing to say. "I'm sorry for your loss." He mumbled.

He watched as she walked away with the same look, before turning to glare at Cole. "Murder Capital of the world?" He mouthed silently and stood quickly.

Cole shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what you want me to say. Nowhere's perfect Jay."

"What? That's not an excuse for vacationing in this hellhole. Whose idea was this, anyway?"

"Wu's, remember?" Zane was quick to add. "He thought that maybe we could help Donald."

Jay looked mildly flustered at that. "Help him! Help him with what? He looks like he's got everything sorted. Knows where everything is, within reason. Haa, the old guy won't even let us help him around the house or in the garden. And both need sorting fast, you've seen the kindling right, the whole place could go up like a bonfire if Kai loses the plot."

"Hey no fair," He chuckled and messed up Jay's stiffened hair style. "You're the only one that stirs the pot Jay, no one else gets me riled up like you do."

He was still grinning at Kai's attempt to annoy. "Great, love to know how easy you are to torment." He pulled Nya closer into his chest and kissed her on purpose.

"Oh come on, Jay, you have to do that right in front of me, you can't wait until you're behind closed doors?"

Both Jay and Nya shook their heads. Jay broke off the kiss first. "Separate rooms, remember?" Nya was still trailing kisses down his exposed neck.

"Ugh, get a hotel room then." Cole helpfully supplied but received a dead arm for even suggesting that idea within ear shot of Kai.

"And that's one of the reasons I'll be working whilst you're not, Nya too." He said with a smirk and resumed where he had left off.

"NYA?" Kai boomed.

She blushed and turned to face her brother, "What?" She stopped Jay's hands from teasing down her exposed back, he placed them on her hips but continued to trail his lips down her neck, enjoying the look of anger painted onto Kai's face. He knew that Kai wouldn't do a damned thing at least while Nya was in his arms.

"What does he mean? You got a job too?" Kai asked. His face was like thunder.

She nodded her head. "I did. A restaurant on the sea front. It's literally a few doors down from the Video Store."

At least three of them had jobs now, although Cole was a little miffed at not being able to find anything. He's thinking he might chance his luck again tomorrow on the beach.

The light caught Jay's face in an odd way and it revealed a dark pink settling under his eye. It looked remarkably like he'd taken an unprovoked punch. He didn't ask, he just walked up to Jay, ignoring Nya's close proximity.

"Anyway, what happened to your face Jay?" Cole asked as he grabbed Jay's face and turned it to the side roughly. He could quite clearly see the start of a bruise forming.

"Uhm, some jerks on the carousel were getting a bit carried away." He pulled out of Cole's grasp.

"It was nothing though, right Nya?" He asked as he pulled her close to him again.

Kai was bristling at the mention of his sister being involved in a scuffle of sorts.

"A group of six tattooed individuals had been causing trouble on the carousel. One of them tried to grab me until Jay lashed out but he got a swift punch in the jaw for it. It could have easily spiralled out of control had a security guard not intervened at the crux." Nya was quick to state.

"You handled yourself pretty well though, Nya. Seriously, I had to hold her back Kai." He winked and remained glued to her.

Jay's eyes were cautiously watching for the same group of annoying guys but he could only see a few motorbikers who were wearing a mixture of leathers with almost rockstar hair. They, too, had been on the carousel but had stood back and watched the whole thing unfold. Well, the one with the short blonde hair had held up one hand to prevent them from intervening.

"I recognise those guys from the video store, too. Max didn't even want them in there." Jay watched them as did Nya. The clothing choice of these four boys seemed to be largely intimidating, but colourful too. They all had long hair except for the one who seemed to lead.

It was quite the sight at night time. Completely awesome as all the rides were lighting up the sky like the fourth of July. Jay had Cole and Kai join him on the majority of rides, but it was fast becoming evident that after one too many funnel cakes that Cole was going green and this time he refrained from the remainder.

"He's a literal machine, how's he doing that?" Cole asked Zane as both just stood and watched the fairground ride spinning. The act of watching it had Cole grasp at his stomach.

"Maybe he has a stronger stomach. He likes pickled beet tea, remember? I guess the oddities of his home cooked food differs from that of yours, Cole."

Cole nodded. His home cooked food had previously consisted of takeaways when he lived with Lou. Not that he didn't enjoy them, or the memories of such. But since living with Wu, Misako and his brothers, he really, rather missed the home cooked variety since being accustomed to them.

Cole waited for Jay and Nya to get off the Wave Jammer, both had a cosy ride forwards and backwards. Kai had chosen to remain at Cole's side, Zane too.

"It's gonna hit him soon, taking a punch like that and without warming up or stretching it out." Cole was quick to state. "He'll be lucky if he can stay awake long enough to pull off a shift."

He quickly turned to his blonde brother who had just joined them on the boardwalk. "You got a job too, huh?"

Lloyd smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "Comic book store, with two complete comic book nerds."

Cole rolled his eyes. "Well, that figures. Guess it'll suit you right down to the ground though...seriously, I thought Jay would've gone for that one too."

"So, what are we waiting for then?" Lloyd asked. He noted that everyone was present and accounted for. But at this exact moment, they were queuing to get into the open air arena.

"You arranged this Lloyd, you don't remember?" Kai quickly nudged his blonde brother. "Timmy Capello, musical genius and so on?"

"Is it bad of me if I say I'm gonna head back because I've gotta be up early?"

Jay cocked his head and frowned, his hand brushed through his salty stiffened hair. "N-no, not at all. Haa, if you've gotta be up early then you better get some rest. This could go on for a while, and I've got an hour before I'm due for my first half shift."

Jay turned to face Lloyd and Kai, Zane too, was flagging a little. "You all going home then?"

All three nodded in response.

"We'll see you all later then?" Cole said as more of a question.

"HANG ON, who's gonna take Nya home?" Jay was quick to ask, considering she'd come in the car. Technically, it left only two bikes remaining being that Lloyd's bike was secured to the U-Haul trailer.

Cole looked at Jay's face and back at Kai's, "I'll take her back, Lloyd, will you give me your helmet?" He asked and took it gently from his blonde brother's hands.

"See you guys later," Cole smirked and gave a quick wave before walking through the metal barrier turnstile to join Jay and Nya.

Jay had allowed Nya entrance first, before following her through, Cole was next. All three of them found a good place to stand. They watched as the arena rapidly filled and the band started to come onto the stage.

The first few songs seemed to be fillers, nothing remotely special. It was just the artist showing off his skills at using various instruments. The one that got the crowds rolling in and hands in the air was a song that Jay shook his head at.

The singer had quite literally doused his topless body in baby oil. He'd had an outfit change too, it was embarrassing but the crowd seemed to love it. "Who wears purple leggings and a codpiece?" Jay shouted. His lips back on Nya's as they danced together to the loud music.

But Cole was too busy to take notice of Jay's question. His eyes were firmly caught on the appearance of a confident looking girl. He watched as she waltzed out from the access area under the concrete arena. A huge smile was on her face, her incredibly curly hair flowing effortlessly down her back, flowing and bouncing as she danced to the beat. Heck, her hair wasn't the only things that were bouncing, but his eyes were still firmly glued to hers.

He was instantly smitten, and what was even better was the fact that she had no boyfriend around her. At least, she looked single, and she certainly looked like she was enjoying herself. Cole had none too discretely turned to face her as she passed, and he just stared at her, more in curiosity than anything else.

Jay turned his head, he was trying to figure out what had garnered Cole's attention so much, to warrant his attention drifting from the main act on stage to a person in the audience. Jay narrowed his eyes and then focused on a female who was looking in his general direction. Oddly, straight at Cole.

Cole looked at her and Jay couldn't understand why his brother was still staring, she wasn't really anything to look at, well, nothing out of the ordinary….nothing like Nya.

But both Cole and this unknown girl had caught each-others gaze and now Cole had a desire to talk to her. Just as soon as he had smiled at her, she smiled back but within a millisecond, she turned on her heels and left. Not caring that Jay and Nya were still busy behind him he rapidly left, hot on her heels pursuing her.

Jay was quick to notice that Cole was walking away rapidly and broke off their kiss to follow, but he didn't want to leave Nya alone. Between them, Cole was supposed to be the one taking her home. He pulled her gently behind him. "Sorry, Nya."

"Whoa Cole, where ya going?"

He didn't answer, he continued to follow the brunette back up onto the boardwalk.

"Are you following that girl? You're following her, aren't you?" He tugged at Cole's t-shirt, somewhat out of breath at having to keep up with Cole and pull his girlfriend along for the ride.

This time the woman who Cole had been tailing, just so happened to walk out of the arena, before hopping right onto the pillion seat of a modified rat bike.

"Ooh, looks like she stiffed ya." Jay teased and nudged Cole gently. His black haired brother was lost for words. Jay narrowed his eyes at the young men before him, they all looked back at him too with some vague recollection.

This was the third time this night he'd had the pleasure if it could be called that…he looked at the short haired blonde at the front. He was smirking but said nothing, just the raising of one solitary eyebrow was enough.

But then his eyes burned into Cole's and his face broke out into a winning smile. The type of smile that signifies you've lost a competition, the smile with a definite hint of smugness about it. It was cast both at Jay and Cole's expense.

No words were spoken, but it was now an awkward silence.

In Cole's mind, this was now a competition. Heck, he'd be back here tomorrow night, anything to get her name and number.

Jay watched as the curly haired biker kick started his bike, he revved it loudly, louder than was necessary before allowing himself to open the accelerator. He tore off down the boardwalk swiftly followed by the rest of his three brothers. He was shocked at their behaviour, some of the pedestrians had to literally leap out of the way so as to avoid being ran over.

Jay took a deep breath, he wasn't going to be outmatched by a couple of tearaway teens, even if he did envy their bikes. It wasn't these teens that had punched him though, they just stood and watched.


	7. Sunday

_All that was heard in passing was that the man known as Max was the father of the five rowdy adolescents and he was a wealthy widower._

 _It was rumoured that he had enough money to buy himself a business but didn't trust anyone enough (even his sons) to run and operate it. They weren't even allowed in the shop._

 _It wasn't hard to see why he didn't trust his supposed sons. When he was hard at work, they were out gallivanting and terrorising the local neighbourhood and fairgrounds._

 _Furthermore, no one could really approach this family, they never answered the door. The blinds were always down, the doors deadlocked with five lever mortice. Heck, no one saw these teenagers during daylight hours, so it wasn't even known if they went to the local college._

 _The teenagers only seemed to wreak havoc when the sun went down. During daylight, it was actually a normal town and a great place to live. Nightfall, not so much._

* * *

 ** _Sunday sunrise_**

Jay had got back in the very early hours of the Sunday morning.

He groaned as he fumbled for the door and groaned again as he removed his jacket and goggles. He walked across to the couch without even seeing the only awake occupant. "Morning, Jay." Cole whispered quietly, "I wanted to make sure you got back okay."

Jay had almost jumped out of his skin at the deep gravelly tones of his brother. Calming down in an instant when he saw Cole approaching him from the kitchen counter with two hot mugs of cocoa on a tray, as well as a tub of ibuprofen and a glass of water.

"You waited up for me?" Jay quickly asked as he took a steaming cup with both hands.

Cole nodded and smirked. He raised both eyebrows momentarily. "You can hardly blame me, though. Nya was worried too." He pointed to the other couch and sure enough, Nya was sound asleep on it, having lost the will to stay awake. At least Cole had thought to place a cover on her.

He sat down and waited for Jay to join him. The lamps were the only thing providing a glow, being that there was no TV. "So how did it go?"

Jay took a sip of his cocoa and leaned back onto the leather couch, "Actually, it was pretty cool. The staff are okay. It stays open 'till like, one am and then we cash up and lock the safe and the doors. Finally, finish at two am." He yawned and stretched out, wincing in pain as his jaw began to ache incessantly.

"I take it you both got back without any trouble?" Jay asked as he watched Cole from the corner of his eyes.

The black haired ninja was quick to pass across two tablets and a glass of water. He had correctly figured that the punch would be aching by now. The bruise and broken blood vessels would have doused the affected muscles in a fine purple hue and the bruise would look bad in the next few days. Maybe enough to warrant Jay the use of some concealer.

Jay had gratefully taken the offered tablets, "Are you doing anything tomorrow?" He looked at the time, and sighed quietly. "Uhm...I mean today?"

Cole nodded eagerly. "Yup, going back to the boardwalk, you fancy it?"

Jay took a tentative sip from his hot cocoa beverage, enjoying how much effort Cole had gone to to make him happy. His cocoa even had a flake and marshmallows in as well as an unhealthy amount of whipped cream.

"You're going after that girl again aren't you?" He smirked and his whipped cream moustache was visible even in the dark lamp lit room.

Cole nodded, shamelessly. "She was just different, can't explain it really. She smiled at me and…"

Jay licked off his moustache, although, had Nya been awake she would have done it for him. "She was with those guys though, don't think they'd be best pleased if you started peeing on their territory!"

Cole grinned and held back the laughter. He didn't really want to burn himself or Jay so he refrained from throwing a scatter cushion. "I'm not peeing anywhere, that's so gross Jay."

He shuffled onto his side and stared across at Jay, who was currently stroking Nya's hair from her face. "So, did you meet anyone new at the video store?"

Jay nodded and smiled when Nya cuddled into his thigh. "Yeah, just a few. Maria, Nicole and, uh, Max, he runs the place."

"Was it busy? Come on, spill it Jay!"

Jay shook his head and grinned. "Are you that bored?"

Cole nodded and shrugged his shoulders.

"Ugh, fine, they were really short staffed but Max showed me the ropes real quick. Dead, easy really. It's kinda boring but you get to meet new people all the time and then there's the regulars."

Jay's face suddenly lit up. "And, Max said we could get a cheap TV and VHS player if I pull a couple of extra graveyard shifts with him this week."

Cole's face was a picture at hearing that. It was painfully boring just sitting here in the evening, none more so than when everyone had eaten because apart from board games and talking…there was nothing else to do. Donald didn't even own a TV because he had a TV guide. "You gotta do it then, pull in some extra shifts…if you can, that is. I mean, without tiring yourself out, or getting yourself into trouble."

Jay lifted his drink and felt warm and toasty already. The milky beverage was already working its magic. He leaned back into the leather couch and felt as one of her arms wrapped around his waist. "It's a bit of a boring job, but it pays well, plus they have the most recently released movies on a five-minute rotation." He felt the starts of a yawn and momentarily forgot about the mostly unprovoked blow.

He attempted to forestall the yawn but it was already too late as he stretched his jaw wide and let out a strangled yelp. The pain killers hadn't quite kicked in yet, but he'd be sleeping like a baby soon enough.

Rubbing his jaw, he looked tiredly back at Cole, "Is there anything on tomorrow, or are you just going to look around the fair again?"

Cole had drunk his drink in record time, the mug was still steaming. He belched but Nya was still two sheets to the wind. "Nothing on tomorrow, the fair's always there and Lloyd's got his first shift. So if you don't wanna tag along with me you can always take a perusal at what comics Santa Carla has to offer?"

"Yeah, well I don't wanna be at the mercy of your sex glands, bro." Jay blushed at how that came out. "Uh, God, you know what I mean right? I don't want in on what you've secretly concocted with her, whoever she is, if she even talks to you tomorrow." Jay quickly loosened his collar and fanned himself. "Sorry Cole, I'll come with you. Nya might too, unless she's working, in which case…I'll be her most annoying customer, followed by Lloyd's." He chuckled and felt his eyes growing heavier by the second. "It'll be fun Cole, a night on the town. M-Maybe Kai can stay out for the night too."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Monday evening**_

The day had come and gone in a blur. Jay had spent most of it in bed, nursing a monster jaw ache. When the two brothers had eventually made it to bed it was almost five am.

The day had been almost like the one before, in that not much had happened. Donald had come back from the Widow Johnson's house with a smile on his face and a freshly washed appearance about him. He had spent most of the early morning and mid afternoon in his garage, tinkering...looking for tools that only he knew of. Their location, like everything else, was a secret. And typically, Donald refused to accept any help from Zane or anyone.

Zane had stood and watched, enraptured by how the old man worked. He knew that Donald took great pride in his work, none more so than his taxidermy, whittling, and his car. The man was skilled, he even had time to tend his front garden, growing his own vegetables, but then...Donald was a retiree, this was his time, and it was certainly well spent doing the things he loved.

"You not coming then, Z?" Jay asked, grinning widely. The side of his face was red, verging on purple, but it didn't deter him from cracking his cheesiest smile, though.

Zane was shaking his head, probably for more than one reason. "I am staying here tonight, Kai too." He cocked his head and loosely shrugged his shoulders.

He was standing by the kitchen counter, preparing vegetables as he spoke. Casually watching Kai from the corner of his eye. "Kai? We are staying here tonight, yes?"

Sitting on the sofa as gently as he could, Kai simply nodded at Zane in response. He turned back to what he had been doing, which was staring into nothing. A stuffed animal came into his peripheral and he almost jumped out of his skin. It was a no small surprise that Kai hadn't fallen over the back of the leather couch at the appearance of a fully stuffed, mangy beaver. "SHEESH!" Kai shouted loudly. His heart was hammering, unsure of how much more of this he could take. "What the heck is that? S-sorry Donald, uhm..."

Donald smiled, he was pleased with the reaction, although it was evident he was going more for the wow factor. He had been paid for similar works of art. "Made ya a little gift." He said as he placed the stuffed and mounted creature on the whittled wood coffee table. It was stood, literally, pride of place, staring at Kai with its beady glass eyes.

Kai looked at his brothers, watching for Zane's reaction. The blonde haired brother said nothing. If anything, Zane thought it a nice touch. A keepsake, a token, almost. Kai was slightly terrified of it. Jay was too, Cole, however, was struggling to keep a straight face.

Thinking more about it and the fact that Donald had chosen to give this piece to him Kai swallowed nervously and accepted it as the gift it was meant as. "Uhm, thanks, Donald?" His tone rising at the end, and he fought the warming blush that crept on to his face.

"I'll take good care of it." He stumbled with his words and shot off the couch like he'd had a boost of nitrous gas. Kai took the imposing stuffed creature and ran up the stairs like he was being followed by a ghost. Before he reached his shared room, he turned to face both Cole and Jay. "Whoever is picking up Nya tonight, please ride carefully. No wheelies, Cole! I don't want her getting a thing for bikes." His face looked grim, mortified as he took one last look at the beaver.

Zane tossed the chopped vegetables into the crock pot and nodded at Cole and Jay from the doorway. Smiling sweetly as Nya passed, helmet in hand, "have fun tonight. And Jay? Stay out of trouble," his face teasing but strict.

Getting to the boardwalk was no fun.

Jay had chosen the only sports bike that had one damned seat. That fact alone meant that Nya had to wrap her legs around Cole. The ride, because of that was quite fast.

Jay didn't want Nya on Cole's bike. He wanted her with him, but he to keep telling himself that he didn't have the seat space, he had no pillion seat at all and he couldn't expect Nya to hang on for dear life whilst standing up on the back on his bike.

No, Cole would have to take her home.

Besides, Cole was a skilled biker, that was for sure. Although sometimes, Jay was certain that Cole just preferred to get dirty and completely caked in mud. He was an earth elemental after all.

Typically and before they had even got to the fairground, Jay and Nya had noticed something very ominous. A picture of the security guard from the night before was now being stuck to the 'Wall of Missing people.'

Jay had just nicknamed it the 'Missing Wall', but it really had no name though. It was just a place where people had convened. It was so close to the beach and the fairground, people were bound to notice it. That was the idea anyway...always a hope that someone would recognise one of the many missing people and say 'yeah, I saw him, he lives down by Charley's'. But it never happened.

Once they were posted here, the missing people were never found.

It was evident, that judging by the aged appearance of the woman who posted it, it could be largely contested that she was either the wife or sister of the guard, maybe even a lifelong friend. One thing was for sure, his photo made him look so proud. He had enjoyed every part of his job, even the occasional banning of the rowdy teenagers from the fairground. Yeah, he was a glorified fairground cop who always carried on his person a baton but he loved his job and now he, too, was one of the many missing.

Jay didn't want to say anything in response, what could he say that wouldn't be largely inappropriate. All the guy had done was prevented an all-out scrap from occurring and now he was dead. No reason, no witnesses and no clues.

A dead case.

He took a deep breath, ignoring the new poster. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed Nya on the lips. Watching carefully as she walked into the restaurant to begin her first summer job as a waitress. He hoped to the first spinjitzu master that no guys would get cheeky with her. Not that he was overly concerned, Nya could hold her own any day. "I'll pick you up in three hours or so?"

She nodded, smiling sweetly. Her smile was hiding her obvious nerves and Jay picked up on it. Waitressing wasn't really her forte, but then, there weren't any mechanics vacancies going. Well, none that were legal anyway. "Wish me luck." She said nervously.

Jay held her tightly in his arms. Hugging her close, smelling her cinnamon spiced hair, "You really don't need it. I won't be far. Just gonna hang around here for a bit then I might pop in later for a slice of cherry pie with cream on the side," he replied, grinning with that same cheeky smile that made her heart melt.

"You coming, bro?" Cole hollered from across the street. Jay could tell he was getting impatient because he was tapping his black leather boots on the boardwalk.

Cole was standing there, running his hands through his black locks. He was wearing a full leather biker jacket, tapping his black leather boots on the floor. His white skinny t-shirt sticking to his chest, accentuating his defined muscle groups.

Why hadn't Jay noticed that earlier? Oh that's right, he was covering it all up but now it was evident that Cole had come here tonight just to woo that girl from the night before. He said he was going to, but Jay never thought he'd go ahead with it...until now. "Alright Cole, sheesh." He said as he quickly joined his brother's side.

Jay hadn't really taken much pride in his own clothing choice, he was wearing linen board shorts and pumps with a longer than usual fitted but oversized shirt. He felt under dressed. Everyone else was made up to the nines. The young men who didn't have coloured Mohicans all had gelled hair and wore regular denim and shirts. The women were almost the same, even down to the hair in some cases.

Jay had stopped at Cole' side after he'd been following his lead as he navigated his way through the multitude of fairground stalls. "So, in the off chance that you actually find her, what are ya gonna do?"

Cole was still walking, his eyes were narrowed and searching. "Think on the fly, play it by ear...heck, I don't know." He was struggling to think about anything else. It didn't help that he had a rather talkative and energetic brother walking next to him wanting all possible answers and outcomes about the 'whats and whys'.

The young black-haired man had stopped, grabbing Jay's upper arm gently, yet mildly admonishing. "Jay, don't you have something better you can do, rather than follow me around all night?" His eyebrow was raised.

Jay took a quick glimpse around himself, his smile widened. "Yeah, I do..." He replied. Now he was staring at the stalls that stood in front of him with a childish excitement. "Thanks, Cole."


	9. Monday evening

_**Monday evening**_

"Jay, don't you have something better you can do, rather than follow me around all night?" His bushy black eyebrow was raised, testing, looking for that lightbulb moment to flicker in Jay's eyes.

Cole was none too patiently waiting for Jay to adjust to his immediate surroundings. He didn't think he'd need to spell it out for Jay and to be fair, it only took a few seconds for it to register on the lightning master's face. He rarely missed much, he was far too intuitive for his own good sometimes.

Jay had taken a fleeting glimpse around himself, his smile widening, "Yeah," He drew the word out like a filthy expletive.

His eyes lighting up. "Actually I do..." He replied slowly. "Thanks, Cole." He quickly patted Cole on the shoulder, absent-mindedly. Not even holding eye contact anymore, Jay had wandered off in search of something that only this place could sell. There was no 'good bye and see you later.' He was gone, in a literal world of his own.

Cole watched with a sly grin as Jay walked off, knowing that he'd soon be in his nerdy comic book element and likely about to make Lloyd's life a living hell.

This wasn't just any comic book store. It was the store where Lloyd had been working all day. The master of energy had been employed without so much as an interview. It was a rather informal event, the only necessities were a quirky personality, coupled with a wide and diverse knowledge of anime, manga, and comic book superheroes and villains. Heck, he wasn't going to be expected to handle cash, just lug and shift comics all day.

Jay had walked into the store with his head pointing down to avoid eye contact. The first thing he saw were two wooden carts. Both carts had vastly reduced, slightly damaged versions of comics, some without sleeves. Some of them were faded or unpopular editions that no one wanted. Correctly deducing that this was the bargain bin, he didn't see any of what he would read in there so he carried on into the store.

First thing he noticed once he was in the store, it was huge. This place was far bigger than his hometown comic book store. The one aptly named 'Doomsday Comics' or the one in the next city called 'Forbidden Planet.' No, this one was huge, but quite dimly lit, which in itself was just as odd.

Then there was the music. It was hardly engaging to the customers, of which he was the only one in the store. It was sleep inducing lift muzak. Nothing like the video store he worked in last night. He smirked to himself, at least Max had the decency to allow for chart topping music to be played, it enticed the customers, if anything, and brought more business in.

Not wanting to attract any attention, Jay walked slowly, perusing the labels as he passed. He caught a glimpse of two Hippy-looking elder adults. Both the adults looked to be sleeping behind the counter. The hippies had a bright colour on their faces and wore an even brighter choice of flowing tunics and tie-dyed clothing.

Both were fast asleep and not even bothered by the laughing sounds from the fortune telling machine's on the boardwalk outside, or the equally rowdy lot that were beginning to convene nearest the carts.

Jay thought that it had either been an arduous day or they had fallen asleep watching an enthralling movie.

Looking around cautiously, he noticed three other people in the store. One was wearing an open fronted plaid red and black shirt with rolled up sleeves. His longish dirty blonde hair was held back with a red bandana that was sat above his brow. Other than making him look like a Rambo knock off, it actually did an excellent job of holding the mullet in check.

Jay noted that this particular teenager had a smug grin on his face as he was talking to whom Jay knew to be Lloyd. He was obviously showing him the ropes, well he was until Jay walked into the store.

Then there was another youngish looking teen, although both appeared to be roughly the same age. There was maybe a year or two between them at most. This one, however, had dark hair and was wearing an AAF regiment style NATO green jump suit with para boots. Maybe the whole ensemble was a cheap knock off, Jay didn't know, and he wasn't going to ask either.

He walked up behind Lloyd and jabbed him either side of his lower ribs. The effect was instantaneous and Lloyd shrieked in response to the gentle but definite tickle.

Jay chuckled, he found it hard not to. "Sorry Lloyd, couldn't resist." He replied quietly. He tried to act more like a customer when he noted the two younger teen's looking his way. "Any good comics?"

Lloyd nodded his head eagerly. Leaning in towards Jay he whispered quietly. "These two seem to like pushing horror comics." He dug one out of his jeans back pocket and thrust it into Jay's open hand.

Frowning a little, Lloyd continued, "I swear they think that there's something wrong with this town. All they talk about is vampires and working in this place for their folks." Lloyd motioned towards the two sleeping adults. "It's almost dead in here."

Jay had caught a brief glimpse of the two teens as they attempted to give chase after the same lot of tattooed surfers. The same ones that Jay had been accosted by only yesterday. "Who are they, then?"

Lloyd took a few new editions from the box and proceeded to stack them accordingly. Now relaxed a little without the added scrutiny. "Edgar and Alan Frog, the Frog twins, would you believe?"

Jay was still browsing the comics on display, seeing some rather nice limited editions in perspex containers, advertised proudly on the walls. "Twins?" He replied.

Lloyd nodded, "Not identical, _obviously_." He stated, hauling another box at his feet before putting on his most sarcastic voice. "They're dedicated to a higher purpose," Lloyd said with an obvious smug grin.

" _Apparently_ , fighters for truth, justice and the American way." He finished, trying his hardest not to break into a laughing fit. "I've been working with Ed all day." His facial expression was grim.

Jay cocked his head to the side and looked back down the store. "Horror comics eh, not a huge fan either." He took in Lloyd's clothing choice, very casual. "So, how's the day going so far, what time do you finish?"

The blonde brother looked at his wrist watch and smiled. "It's going slowly and actually...I finish in an hour or two. You still gonna be here?"

"Uh huh, Nya finishes in a few hours too, first shift tonight." He mumbled quietly. "Maybe we can get a bite to eat when you've finished, go and annoy her, too."

Lloyd was grinning from ear to ear. "Wow, Jay, I thought that maybe you'd want to save some of those wages, ya know. Not blow them within twenty-four hours of earning them?"

Jay shrugged and did a double take on what Lloyd had uttered, "What? The first wage always gets blown. Besides, Max wants me to work a few nights in a row. Which means we'll have some spare cash so we can start having a good time, not having to worry about watching the dollars and dimes."

It was a warm and humid night and Cole was happily mulling around the stalls with a few dollars in his wallet. He even had enough in his wallet for him to get a decent bite to eat and still have a few goes on the fairground if he wanted. Enough so as to not need worry about finding a job anytime soon. His brother, Zane, called him a saver. Kai and everyone else called him a careful spender when he was at home.

He never had a real need to be frivolous with his money unlike Lloyd or Jay because Cole's only weakness was cakes and he rarely had the time to eat them.

He walked past some wet stalls, some younger teens were shooting water from pressure controlled pistols, the stream of water was supposed to go into the clowns' mouth but the water pressure was never high enough to sustain. He guessed that if Nya was here she'd likely win every large soft toy on this game if she tapped into her element.

'Nope Cole, Wu and Misako said no elemental abilities on this trip. This is supposed to be a holiday, a journey of sorts.' He admonished himself and remembered admitting to that little snippet.

Of course, if it really came down to it, they'd use their elements if they had to. Wu wouldn't find out surely?

Something had caught his eye. Sadly, it wasn't the girl he was looking for.

It wasn't female at all. Still, it was a fascinating thing to watch. He saw two men within a painting booth, one of which was busy working. The other was evidently waiting. Cole had walked across slowly, he was drawn to it or more precisely drawn to the artwork that was being afforded to the tiny, leather accessory.

The man sprayed it with some fast drying acrylic paint before slowly and carefully handing it across.

He watched intently as the customer was given his new wallet with an amazing painting now adorned on it. He secretly wanted something similar on his jacket, maybe nothing as gaudy as a large scale picture but he certainly wouldn't turn his nose up at having the option of having a rather nice 'C' on his leather jacket.

"How much for a single letter on a leather jacket?" He asked quickly as he perused the font on display.

"Depends on the size, twenty for a big logo or five for wallet sized." He emphasised his point with his hands.

Cole quickly checked his wallet, and found out that he had enough for that, too. "Twenty then, can you do it quickly or is it an overnight thing?"

The stall holder chuckled. "Twenty, and you can have it back in thirty. Go and get yourself a quick bite and it'll be ready when you get back."

Cole handed the money over and his jacket, choosing the font quickly. "I'll be back in a bit, I'm going to have a look around this place."

The stall holder took both gratefully. "Be careful." He warned but said no more.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Monday evening**_

Cole had wondered if the stall holder was being genuine in his duty of care to his customers or perhaps might have been touting for a bigger tip.

 _'This is a tourist spot, what the heck is gonna get me here, of all places? An old man with a walking stick, the mad cat lady?...Please'_

He thought, whilst mentally asking himself if he looked like a visitor. The very definition of a tourist was someone who had probably been on the beach all day. Maybe even wearing knockoff brands and still wearing shades, happily forgetting the time of day whilst stumbling around the boardwalk in a drunken stupor...that wasn't him.

Then he thought that maybe he was giving off a tourist vibe.

All he was wearing was a white t-shirt, his black jeans and dusty boots. There was nothing remotely touristy about him. If anything, he looked like a regular college kid who lived here and had for years. If Cole was honest with himself...Jay looked more of a tourist than he did, but it wasn't done on purpose.

The poor auburn-haired fool had next to no fashion sense at the best of times; he was, for want of a better word, a fashion victim.

Nya thought Jay's sense of style was cute. Which is why she hadn't said anything about his current surfer style ensemble. Even if it did look hideously out of place when teamed with his expensive blue and white striped leather jacket and his blue Vans.

In typical Cole style...he shrugged off the concern from the total stranger and kept walking. His stomach was guiding him, guiding him to a stall that smelled just as sweet as it looked.

"Just a small cone, please." Cole mumbled and eagerly handed over a couple of bucks.

He was almost drooling as he stood outside a beverage stall. Eyeing the various sweet treats on display. Candy apples, cotton candy, and sugary sweets galore. The dentists around here must make a sweet fortune with all the cavities.

The vendor handed the brightly coloured ice cone across with a scoop straw attached. Then handed the vendor some sparse pocket change.

Cole had been forewarned about eating odd coloured ice before.

But this was different, it was almost as bright as Joseph's technicolor dream coat. Plus the thing was possibly riddled with E numbers and and sucrose galore. The energy alone would provide a boost and it was certainly gonna hit the spot, even if it did warn about a potential brain freeze.

Heck, Cole didn't care...motorbiking was a thirsty hobby after all. The dust and dirt got everywhere. And it wasn't like their helmets were equipped with holes for straws. Cole was surprised that Jay hadn't invented something along those lines, but the lightning master had been far too busy with Nya. Making up for lost time was the excuse he gave.

Taking the multicoloured concoction he smiled, "thanks." Was his polite response. He wasn't even looking at the vendor. He just took a sip and bite of the overly sweet frozen beverage. No doubt about it, Cole would be climbing the walls tonight.

He didn't want to fill up on junk food though. Having already had his full of funnel cake from the day before. He was planning on spending some time with Jay and Lloyd, when his shift had ended. Their terrible plan was to torment Nya as much as possible by being the overly complicated customers, the one who would complain, in jest but then leave her with a generous tip.

Cole looked around himself as he held firm onto the worn metal railings of the boardwalk pier. He was casting those dark brown eyes into the calming ocean waves below.

This place was so mellow, yet vibrant and full of life. The only things that made the hair prick at the back of his neck, were the wall of missing people and the hand painted signage, depicting Santa Carla as a hotbed of evil and death. That pretty much spelt out his and Jay's concerns.

He walked slowly back towards the fairground having seen all he could of the bay. There was only so much of the ocean he could see at this late hour. Cole checked his digital watch surreptitiously. There were still a few minutes to spare, enough for him to look out onto the nearing beach front.

There were disused oil barrels, fire and flame issuing forth from each one. He guessed that there was no real risk of wildfires, being so close to the ocean. It paid to be cautious though. These fires were lit precariously close to the dry grass covered sand dunes.

Standing tall, he decided to take a slow walk back. Maybe he'd catch a glimpse of the girl from yesterday, perhaps even the guys she was acquainted with. He wasn't scared of them. But there was something about them that made him question himself. They were so laid back, they were horizontal. No one seemed to stand up to them, according to Jay, anyway.

A few minutes later and he was looking at himself in the mirror, impressed with the look. Cole was hoping that there were no biker gangs around these parts that wore similar markings, that was trouble they could do without.

The artist looked apprehensive. Perhaps it was because he didn't always get paid for his skills or perhaps some customers wanted their money back.

Cole was happy though and he walked off with a smile on his face.

He approached a further stall up ahead. This one looked busy but he found it was also in part, due to the hot dog shop.

It was a small stall and only had a stool with a few cork boards propped up against a wallpapering table. Everything was covered by a faux animal print fleece, guaranteed to get some attention.

The signage stated: _EAR PIERCING free with $10.00 purchase_.

He was largely unsure what the guys would say to him if he showed up tonight with a pierced ear, he still entertained the notion just as much.

Seeing more clearly as he moved to watch. Cole could see that a multitude of earrings were adorning the dark velvet throw and Cole quickly rubbed his ear lobe in sympathy.

He'd never had a piercing before, and again he was interested at being given the opportunity to watch it. He stood nearby and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the person doing the piercing. He was huge and covered in tattoos. The large man was as bald as a coot with dark sunglasses on and a big bushy beard and tash. The strange thing was that it was nighttime and this dude was still wearing sunglasses. No wonder the young girl looked and acted apprehensive around him.

He stood nearby. The mother was trying her hardest to console but, if anything, she was making it worse because the girl looked visibly on edge with the whole thought of having her ear pierced with out the obligatory piercing gun. This bald dude was coming at her with a long needle, having already gelled it with some numbing local anaesthetic. "Relax, it won't hurt." He mumbled as he closed in on her like a wolf to its prey.

"Alright, it won't hurt..." She said staring quite carefully into the younger girl's eyes. "It won't." She reiterated her lie with another.

The younger girl tilted her head nervously but kept her gaze on the older girl. Obviously trusting her lies.

' _Liar_.'

Of course, it was going to hurt. The man was about to put a hole where one hadn't been before. Cole shook his head at that.

He leaned in as close as he could get, mainly to get a good view.

"It's a rip-off." Came a sultry tone that seemed to float on the breeze. It wafted into his ear seductively, teasing and stopping his train of thought. His mind had skidded of track and he missed the moment of piercing.

Cole was quickly snapped out of his thoughts when he did a double take on who had just spoken to him. He turned slowly and took her in and before his mouth dried up completely, she began to walk off.

And, again he followed in hot pursuit just like the night before.

His courage started to come back to him as they walked in the briefest of silences. It was so awkward, considering everyone else was talking around them and having fun. This was the fairground boardwalk after all. They had to be the only two who were walking in total and utter silence.

He was still a few feet behind her but she wasn't exactly walking fast and she had just made the first move. "Hi." He said in his smoothest husky voice.

' _Real smooth Cole, real smooth_.' He inwardly cringed.

Cole noted that she was walking with a seductive swagger. His eyes drawn to the swish of her hips as she moved graciously across the boardwalk. His tongue had almost dried up, rolled up in his mouth like a titanium sleeping bag.

She quickly turned again. "If you want your ear pierced, I can do it." She said with a cheeky smile before turning her back on him, swishing her long curly hair as she did so.

He smirked at her behind her back.

Moving closer still to gain more courage in speaking to her face to face.

Cole was now at her shoulder level and he turned to face her, "What's your name?" He asked quietly. Watching as she ran a hand through her hair, scooping a mass of brown curls from her field of vision

She looked across to the opposite side of the boardwalk. Glancing briefly across the ocean and fire lit beachfront. "Star." She said clearly.

Cole thought her voice was very softly spoken. "Star? Your folks too, huh?" He said with a grin.

She had quickly turned to face him. Her face for those few seconds was unreadable. "What do you mean?" She wasn't frowning but she was interested to hear his answer. She had come to accept her name, it was different, unique, just like she was.

Cole hadn't really thought about what he had just said. But he was damn sure that he didn't want to offend her so he thought quickly of a way to make it sound like he wasn't meaning to make fun of her name. "Hippies?" Cole said with a nervous smile. "Honestly, I came this close to being called Rock, Jet or something like that." He was smirking as he spoke but he also wanted her to know that her name wasn't a joke, despite how he had acted when she first uttered it. "I like Star though, Star is nice."

Some of the tension was finally beginning to evaporate, "My name's Cole."

He couldn't believe how nervous he felt. Normally he didn't have any time for girls at Wu's monastery because he was too focused on training. But this was different, it was nerve wracking, difficult but oh so exhilarating to be on the pull again.

She turned to face him, she was smiling at him...actually smiling and she grasped his hands gently. "Cole's nice, I like Cole." She said, throwing his own line back at him with a twist. Her warmed hands had soon left his and now they were walking together.

Oh, it was so on...


	11. Star

_**Monday night on the Boardwalk**_

Cole had continued to walk with the girl. The one who had finally introduced herself as Star.

He almost had to face palm himself when he let out an impromptu slip up with making a humourless joke about her name. These things were like a fuse wire, one wrong thing said and the whole thing could blow up or fizzle out to nothing. It just took the right amount of sweet talking and silliness thrown in for good measure to keep the pleasantries on track.

And because he could see that she looked mildly offended, he had to think on the fly. So he told a few white lies about his own name to even the score.

Of course, he wasn't close to being called any of the names he mentioned, although he could remember his father mentioning that they did have some difficulty in deciding on his Christian name before he was born. But when he was breached, he was born with the thickest head of black hair and it was decided by both mother and father that Cole was a perfect name.

"Star-" Cole said in a quiet tone, he was walking towards his and Jay's parked motorbikes. Cole raised his eyebrows when he saw Jay, but he didn't say anything. And he purposely ignored the smooching faces that Jay was pulling.

Cole cleared his throat again, "Star, do you wanna go get something to eat?"

She looked at him, and he could see that there was a slight look of apprehension on her face. She responded with: "Okay."

Her answer was quicker than Cole had expected, and he smirked at Jay when he saw that he was mouth agape with her quick response.

Cole noted that she looked worried for a few seconds, and just as soon as he had asked her that question, both his and Jay's head's span around to the loud and obnoxious sound of a group of motorbikers who had approached with an impressive speed. They had literally cleared this section of Boardwalk, yet again.

The engines were evidently unrestricted, as were the exhausts. Ridiculously so. Cole had to literally raise his voice to a shout to even hear himself.

Cole swung his leg over the bike and sat down on his seat. He was about to offer the pillion seat to Star and maybe the two plus the third wheeling for Jay; they could go out for a meal.

Suddenly, above the sounds of the other loud motorbikes came the crisp and clear tone of another man's voice. A voice that neither of them had heard before. Star had, since she knew who this was.

Cole and Jay had looked up and found that within a few seconds, both of their bikes were surrounded by four others. Cole didn't say anything but did look mildly incensed that these guys showed up, yet again to steal the show.

Four young bikers, all distinctly different. One with long black hair, a rockstar appearance about him and his smug grin made him seem that much more dangerous. The dark-haired biker even had a kid on the back of his bike, and neither were wearing a helmet.

Then there was another biker, this one had long blonde hair and was just out of Cole's peripheral but he still turned to observe him.

Cole could have sworn that these two long haired biker dudes were a huge fan of back combing, because there was no way that their hair would be that voluminous without the use of a shed load of styling, unless they slept upside down! And Cole would know, since he had roomed in with Kai, enough times to know how much styling those spikes of his took to tame and point.

The third biker was completely different. He actually wore a colourful ensemble with tight black ripped jeans. This young dude had long and curly hair. An almost outgrown mullet in style but he wore it well. It blended with his tasseled, multicoloured jacket and he would have made an exceptional stall holder on the boardwalk, if he ever needed a job...well, that was Cole's first un-verbalised thought anyway.

The fourth biker was the one who seemed to be testing Cole's mettle. He was, by the looks of him, the one who was the leader of these other three. He was wearing black, from collar to toe. And, he was the only one who was really staring daggers straight at Cole. He cast a look of familiarity at Jay but said nothing. The other three bikers were all looking at him, waiting for him to speak.

Cole thought the others were unable to speak or maybe they were shy. He looked to his slightly younger brother, the usually overly talkative master of lightning. And, for once, found that Jay was just as speechless as he was.

Jay had already placed his helmet but he was unsure of what to do or say to the added amount of young men that had just surrounded them. He did notice that this girl, whom Cole hadn't introduced yet, was staring solely at the same blonde haired man. The one from yesterday who just stood and watched as Jay took a right hook to the jaw.

"Where you going, Star?" The blonde haired man asked. The voice was smooth, the tone was testing and questioning.

Star looked nervous, but determined, and stated: "For a ride." She replied, flatly, it was fairly obvious after all. She was about to get on the back of Cole's bike, but her face had dropped. "This is Cole," She added.

Cole was getting annoyed with these other bikers. Counting this time, he'd only seen them a grand total of twice and already they seemed to revel in destroying his well laid plans in wooing this girl... "Come on, let's go." He said, hoping that she would oblige him and his offer of a meal.

The man with the short-haired blonde mullet spoke again, the others remained silent. "STAR?" He said, much louder this time. Casting his rolled cigarette to the wooden floor carelessly. His eyes were fixed on her and her alone, the others were too.

It was a visible standoff.

Cole was beyond annoyed now. She had been so close to getting on his bike, and now, she was unsure of what to do. His stomach and heart sank when she began to walk back towards this man, just like yesterday all over again.

All he was waiting for, was for Jay to say something snarky and that would be it. Jay still said nothing, he was just as shocked.

She didn't even turn to look at Cole, she didn't see his face and expression scowling as she lifted her leg and got onto this other man's bike.

He grinned at Cole, the sickest smug grin possible.

It only exacerbated Cole's anger further as the long, blonde-haired biker laughed at him.

Again, the man with the short blonde hair spoke. The other young men were smirking along with him and yet his face was devoid of any emotion. "You know where Hudson's Bluff is?" He inquired with the same emotionless visage. Looking at both Cole and Jay as he revved his bike loudly, "Hey, Hudson's Bluff, overlooking the point?" He clarified further.

Cole looked back at Jay and his brother finally nodded, albeit nervously. "I-I do, but it's risky at nighttime." Jay said, he was leaning across to Cole, so only his brother could hear.

Cole looked back at the man who had spoken, "I can't beat your bike." He replied truthfully, honestly. There was no point in even trying to lie about that fact.

"I'm not asking you to beat me, Cole," The man replies with wide eyes, a look of mischief on his face, "You just have to try and keep up." He revved his bike, louder than was required.

Jay, cautiously put his bike into first gear. "Are you sure you wanna do this? I-I mean, I'm all for male bravado and initiations and stuff but this is plain reckless."

Cole looked at Jay, then back at Star, "You could always stay here, then!"

Jay looked askance at him. "Haa, err, no that wasn't what I meant, Cole. Look I'll come with you, just, I've got to be back to pick Nya up when she finishes, alright?"

Cole nodded once and started his bike.

The black-haired biker was talking to the kid on the back of his bike, but Cole didn't catch it. Although, Cole was hoping that the biker was telling the kid to get off or maybe hold on for dear life.


	12. Initiation race

_**Monday night**_

There was a testing glance, one that got Jay's back up and he felt threatened just being in their presence. Suddenly he had turned to Cole and he became concerned. Not that he would normally back down from a tournament or race of endurance. This just seemed, dangerous and it was all in the name of proving that Cole would pander to their requests of him. Even at the expense of his life?

"Cole?" The man with the short blonde hair called.

Subconsciously he kicked his gear into neutral. "Cole, don't!" Jay pleaded, whilst firmly holding Cole's handlebars. He was doing all he could, in an attempt to impede his insistence to follow through with this stupid race. His final warning being issued, "Dude this is stupid, just let her go. It's obvious she's just stringing you along!"

"COLE?" He called again, a small grin spreading across his face. He sounded like he was speaking down to him, like a teacher would, questioning him, testing him to see if he would bite. His insistence to be heard, cut straight through Jay's voice and grated on the lightning master. "Not scared are ya?"

Jay, was still trying in vain to divert his brother's attention, "Cole, please." Desperately trying to reason with his brother but it was no use. Even shaking the handlebars with both hands wasn't enough to break the glare that the blonde haired man was giving to Cole at this exact moment. "Cole?"

"What would _you know_ Jay? You've let Nya string you along, for years!" Cole growled, his eyes were still burning into the blonde haired man's eyes.

Jay narrowed his gaze and clenched his jaw at the cruel words and belittling tone that seemed to come from nowhere. He chose not to retaliate or rise to the very obvious baiting. Now wasn't the time, he'd have this up with Cole when he was thinking straight. " ** _COLE_** , don't do this. It's dangerous!"

Cole had kicked his bike into first gear without Jay realising and within a few seconds he took one final look at Jay with a sick grin. "Go home Jay," He hissed and opened up the throttle. His bike lurched forward so fast that Jay had no time to react. Cole had driven off and was following the other four bikers as they began to ride down the steps that joined the boardwalk to the beach.

Cole had pulled away ruthlessly, with one selfish thing on his mind..., He was going after her, after Star. He guessed that if he could keep up, as opposed to beating this, as yet unidentified male and his small biker gang, maybe he could speak to her and get to know her better. After all, she didn't seem to be dating this other blonde haired guy. She just rode on his bike like a trophy.

Sadly, when Cole had pulled off as fast as he had, Jay's hand was still on the handlebars at the time. And unbeknown to Cole, his lightning brother almost fell flat on his face with the forward momentum. Jay's bike, bore the brunt of that miscalculated error of judgement and he dropped it onto the boardwalk as he fell on top of it.

Jay was lucky he hadn't broken any ribs with how hard he fell. Although, the fall had knocked the wind from his sails, he was more annoyed about his bike.

"Dammit, _**COLE!**_ " Jay fumed at a fast disappearing master of earth.

He winced, hissing when he got back up to standing. He knew that was going to ache in the morning and he had a week full of nights to do from tomorrow. It was only when he cocked his leg back over his bike did he notice the amount of people looking over him and the unintended spectacle he'd made of himself.

Feeling the starts of a large bruise forming where he'd landed on his own handlebars. It radiated across his entire chest and a further one where the pedal had hit his uncovered shin. And then, of course, was his bike, his pride and joy. The one he had saved up for, now bore the brunt of a somewhat scratched gas tank on one side, where it came in contact with the concrete section of boardwalk.

He could have cried right then and there, the paint job alone had cost him a few hundred dollars. Jay pursed his lips and restarted his bike quickly. He could just make out the four disappearing bikes whizzing down the beach and he decided then and there, to tail them or maybe catch up and give Cole a piece of his mind.

Remembering his bike had no lights, Jay had to resort to a head torch so he flicked it on and opened up his accelerator rapidly.

Following the same route, he cut through the pedestrians and rode quickly down to the eight or so concrete steps. He gasped out loud when his bike's soft shock absorbers and endurance suspension reverberated the bouncing action through his body. The fast and unpractised jump jarred his chest, and most definitely buckled his front wheel but he carried on.

The fire lit barrels allowed him some view of the tire tracks and even though his bike was loud. He could still see and hear were up a good few hundred metres away, not too far luckily as Jay could still see the brake lights clearly but fading ever so slightly.

His face was anything but calm, Jay was angry. He opened the accelerator and drove off fast in hot pursuit, following the tracks in the sand.

* * *

Within a few minutes he had caught up. It wasn't difficult, his bike was exceptional on sand or earth. No so fast on asphalt though because the tires were too textured and it slowed him down. It looked like these guys were all going in a straight line towards the ocean. The tide was out so it left a long stretch of dry sand to travel over before they would be likely to change course.

He said nothing as he neared Cole's bike. He didn't smile but he shot his earth brother a look of annoyance.

"I said to go home Jay,"

"Don't tell me what to do Cole. Someone's gotta watch your back when you choose to do these stupid things without thinking of the consequences."

Cole was struggling to keep up with these guys. Jay could tell that their bikes were faster and, as he had assumed. Their bikes were unrestricted, largely illegal, just like his was. "I can slow them down a bit, if you really want to do this." Jay said, his face stoic.

Jay could hear that Cole's bike was in it's highest gear, it was going flat out on the sand. And, to make matters worse they were approaching the underneath of the boardwalk pier. He was struggling to see much as these bikers took a more dangerous route as he had predicted. Jay had swerved just in time to avoid a Pier strut. Choosing to stay in a straight line as opposed to having all of his ribs broken on a solid piece of barnacle encrusted wood.

"Cole, you can't keep up with them on your bike." Jay stated loudly.

He didn't turn to face his angry brother, "What are you suggesting then?"

Jay kept his eyes and face forwards, "I could slow them down, if I raced ahead?"

Cole smirked, that same calculating grin again, "Or you could lend me your bike!"

"No way-" He shouted, "-Not happening." There wasn't even a grin or humour behind that. Cole had damaged Jay's bike enough tonight.

"They're psychotic lunatics Cole."

"And you're being a baby." Cole teased without making eye contact.

Jay licked his teeth in annoyance, "We're all gonna die. and when we do Cole, I swear I'm coming back to haunt you." Jay hissed angrily and opened up the throttle on his bike leaving Cole behind the pack.

A small smirk on his face at just how stupid that sounded. Jay obviously wasn't thinking straight anymore. He was up at the front howling wildly too.

Suddenly and without warning they began veering left and Jay had followed just as eagerly, although his line of sight was getting harder to see the further they travelled. The dense undergrowth was no exception. Cole was growing nervous for his brother now. He had no light, only that stupid light on his helmet and these bikers were going far too fast to stop in time to avoid a nasty accident.

But there she was again, she looked over her shoulder and her eyes found his. It spurned him on and he pushed his bike harder, lowering his feet to give him more stability as he neared the sharp corners of the dirt track they had found themselves on.

Without any warning the lead biker had slowed.

Cole thought it odd but he'd at least managed to catch up, although he wasn't sure where Jay had gone. He also noticed that the terrain had changed and there were no trees anymore, just rough and dry crackled and crumbling rocks underneath that sent shock waves up his bike frame.

"Come on." He motioned and smiled with the most heinous grin possible.

 _'Where's Jay?'_

Star was looking at him again but this time she was anxious, looking between both David whom she was riding with and Cole, who was riding alongside.

Looking back at the both of them and seeing his wide grin and Star's scared expression, Cole put two and two together and yanked his back brake on. This quick thinking action allowed the back end to step out to slow his controlled slide, thereby preventing a harsh skin burn.

 _'Where's Jay'_

Cole sat up and grimaced at the fact his bike was scratched up, before casting a glance at his surroundings. He could hear the ocean, it was perilously close and then he saw how close he'd been at going over the edge. _"WHERE'S JAY?"_ His heart was racing, thumping out of his chest.

"Cole," Jay called meekly from the back. His bike, luckily was still in one piece. "I'm still here." Jay looked dazed and confused but still in one piece, although his helmet was destroyed, meaning he'd taken a fall in the woods. It would explain why Cole hadn't seen him in the wide open. Otherwise Jay would have fallen to his death first.

Cole had jumped up and had made a beeline straight for the man who had dared him to pull off this reckless stunt. And despite Jay's dire warning both could have died this night. "What the hell were you thinking huh?" Cole said as he swiped the man around the jaw.

" _ **NO**_." Star had shouted at Cole. An attempt so as not to provoke the already tense situation but it was too late. The punch had already been thrown and had landed squarely on David's jaw.

Within a few seconds the other three bikers had surrounded Cole and were closing in, but he didn't care. "Just you." He pointed at the blonde haired man, the one whom Star was still clinging onto nervously. "Come on, just you." He pointed threateningly. Not bothered in the slightest at the smug grin that was still painted onto this mans face like an eternal mocking smirk.

The man was still smiling, he wasn't intimidated at all. He ran a hand through his hair and raised his eyebrows at his brothers to let Cole and Jay go. "How far are ya willing to go Cole?" He mumbled.

Jay had fallen to the ground and Cole was quick to help him up. Cole wondered if it was a rhetorical question, he didn't answer though. Just followed these four peculiar bikers, whilst Jay hobbled behind. "Are you okay, Jay?" Cole asked quietly.

He didn't answer straight away. He shot an extremely aggrieved look into Cole's eyes. "Reckless, dangerous and you still wanted to do it. I hope it's worth it Cole, I hope _she_ is." He replied bitterly.


	13. Chapter 13

He didn't answer straight away. He shot an extremely aggrieved look into Cole's eyes. "Reckless, dangerous and you still wanted to do it. I hope it's worth it Cole, I hope _she_ is." He replied bitterly and paused in his movements.

Jay had stopped at the foot of the path that just led downwards towards certain oblivion.

"Where you going Jay?" Cole called. Turning cautiously on his heels, aware that Jay had stopped, adamant he wasn't going to go any further on this completely pointless endeavour.

"I'm going back-" Jay held tightly onto his neck, one handed. Wincing at the dull ache that resided there after one of those teens had been hovering over him in his dazed state. "-I said I'd be picking up Nya tonight, and she's due to knock off in the next thirty minutes."

Cole was sure that Jay was angry with him. But he had told him to stay away, he'd told him to go home. He thought that his earlier tone could be the reason for Jay's cold demeanour. But he figured his brother of lightning was just being grumpy.

"Look, you do what you have to. I'm staying here for a bit to see what these guys are up to. I mean, come on dude, I'm almost in there."

Jay, still looking aggrieved, licked his teeth in annoyance, his eyes turning to the sky.

For a split second Cole could have sworn that Jay's eyes were excessively watery. "Go pick her up and-" he paused, watching after the four teens and Star as they continued to make their descent, before looking back at Jay "-go home Jay."

Jay turned to face him with a look of cold ice in his eyes. "Back to Phoenix or just back to Don's?" He huffed and turned around but again his movements paused.

Cole's jaw had slackened with Jay's words. Had he said something out of turn to his brother earlier? He couldn't remember saying anything hurtful because his mind was on the game, the game being Star.

"-I'm sorry Cole, I-I didn't mean to say that. I'll uhm, I'll see you later then."

And just like that, Jay's visage faded into the darkness, the pitiful sounds of his walking eventually stopped until the sound of his motocross engine could be heard starting up and riding off slowly. He had discarded his helmet, Cole was still holding it for him. He looked down at it and winced when he saw that the thing bore a huge unsightly crack. At least Jay had been wearing it. He'd be dead if he wasn't wearing it but he had wondered who had found him.

"Cole?" A gentle feminine voice called to him.

Her hand searched for him in the darkness and she helped to guide him down into the depths of a partially hidden cavern.

The cave itself was completely hidden from the surface. It was only accessible by a dangerous and precarious cliff side path. And once inside it was no better either.

It was cold, eerie and dark.

That was until the black haired biker had grabbed a cloth wrapped chunk of wood and used his Zippo to set it alight. Within a few seconds he was dipping the burning baton into various scattered barrels that he walked past. The barrels, Cole guessed had some type of kindling in them to guarantee a quick flame, or maybe take away boxes considering how musty it smelled in here too.

Cole was silent as he entered the main part of the cave, whilst the rest of the guys and the young kid were all howling like banshees. He was silent and taking it all in until the long haired blonde one walked past and barked a gentle order at the kid.

"Get the rock box bud."

The kid must have mumbled something in response but Cole wasn't interested. He was intrigued as the where this kid's parents were, unless one of these guys was his father. That would take some serious explaining if the same thing happened to him. He didn't want to ask though, he didn't even know these guys names and now he felt incredibly stupid for making Jay go off on his own. At least with Jay here Cole would have had some back up and maybe some one to talk to.

"Not bad huh?" The teen with the short blonde hair questioned with a wide grin. His blue eyes now almost golden in the warming light of the now lit cave.

He looked around the place proudly and then turned his back on Cole as he stood taking it in. The cave was more like a den. The kind of den that any younger kid would have loved in their younger years but these teens looks too old to have a den to hang around in unless they dabbled in such highly illicit things that required complete and utter secrecy.

"This was the hottest resort in Santa Carla, about 85 years ago," he stated clearly, There was obvious pride in his voice when he spoke of it. "-Too bad they built it on the fault line."

Cole watched as the, as yet, unknown little kid hauled a hefty boom box up to the long haired blonde glam rockstar. He was fairly sure that this blonde dude could have just done it but he was just being lazy and expecting the kid to do it. At least the guy bent down to pick it up before the kid dropped it on himself. Mercifully.

Cole still hadn't said anything. He was still keeping a watch on all four of these teens with more curiosity than anything. His gaze occasionally flickering to Star as she stayed out of their reach. He was still watching the main one, whom he assumed was their leader. He'd done a full circle around what appeared to have once been a grand water feature fountain. Now it was a pitiful structure with a broken chandelier right in the middle of it and some sort of homemade mobile with assorted trinkets hanging from it like bunting. Maybe Star had done that, made it look at least a little human and homely down here. Because to Cole, this place looked more hovel than previous and former hotel resort.

Now the teen with the short blonde hair was looking directly at Cole, not caring in the slightest where the other man had gone, the one who was with Cole earlier. "In 1906, when the big one hit San Fran-" He paused and smiled, looking around, "-well, the ground opened up and this place took a header." He clapped as if to emphasise his point. Almost as if he was there when it had initially happened, like he was goading it on as the whole thing collapsed in on itself. "It fell, right into the crack."

Now having come full circle he stood less than a metre away from Cole,

Cole wasn't feeling intimidated with the stance anymore. This blonde haired dude was the only one talking and Cole, even though he wasn't overly fond of their initial ways to get him to come here, he wasn't feeling threatened, having Star standing by his side was calming him somewhat.

"So now it's ours." He finished as he looked at Cole with that same sick grin.

"So check it our Cole-y!" The longer blonde haired one mocked as he lit a cigarette, that to Cole, looked suspiciously like a joint. Nearly everybody else laughed at the mocking of his name too but Cole clenched his jaw, Star remained by his side, her face was unreadable.

Suddenly Cole felt himself being pulled forward, one armed, by the one who had given him a brief history of the former hotel. "Marco." He yelled a little louder than usual, and much louder than Cole had heard him talk so far. "Food!" he ordered.

It sounded to Cole like it was an order and he turned to identify the one with long curly blonde hair as the one called Marco. The curly blonde haired teen was holding a rock dove. _Since when did he manage to catch that damn flying rodent?_ Cole thought.

Was he playing with it or was the rock pigeon his damned pet, Cole couldn't be sure. Especially when Marco threw the bird in the air shortly after being given his order.

That was one name down...Marco.

The troubling thing was that Cole also didn't recall seeing any nearby takeaways. And he was as sure as hell, that this former hovel didn't have a working kitchen anymore. Not that it would be rat infested so near to the ocean, rats preferred fresh water, not salt. Plus, he wasn't sure he'd want to eat anything that was over eighty years old or even prepared in a kitchen that was going to look as bad as this room did.

This cave was covered in cobwebs and Kai and Jay would have quite possibly pitched a fit with that fact alone.

Star was watching Cole intently from the other side of the room, still keeping her distance from one and all but casting her concerned gaze upon him, upon Cole.

"That's the thing about this place-" He had looked up to his brother with the lit cigarette. "It's what I love about it. You ask, and then you get." The cigarette was passed from one man to the other. "Thanks." He said whilst offering it to Cole, "Appetiser?" He held it momentarily, testing Cole. he took it after a few seconds.

He'd never smoked before. His body was a temple and he'd never felt the inclination to even consider polluting his body but something made him accept the offer and he took it willingly. Cole took a long deep breathe in and slowly blew it out, now obviously savouring the taste of what he knew wasn't just any tobacco.


	14. Tuesday

**Sorry, I'm really drawing this one out hehe.**

 **Ebony - we shall see if you are correct in your arts of deduction.**

* * *

Jay was miserable when he finally got back to the beachfront Boardwalk. He'd had to ride slowly because his front wheel was slightly buckled. Not only that, but his helmet was wrecked and Cole had taken it off him, leaving him without any protective headgear.

Jay didn't want to think about falling off again, so he rode slowly, cautiously.

Locking his bike securely, Jay's smile eventually cracked when he spotted Nya walking with Lloyd. 'Hey, a _t least green machine remembered our plans.'_

"Hey guys!" Jay hollered. Rubbing himself down in an attempt to hide the fact that he'd fallen off his bike twice in one night. Once, when stationary and the second time was at a higher speed. But other than the bruising ache he felt all over from the falls, there was very little blood. He'd got back on his bike backwards and leaned slightly against the gas tank, waiting patiently for Lloyd and Nya to approach.

Lloyd's jaw had hit the floor, "Jay, wh-what happened to you? And your bike, man...you dropped it?"

Jay rubbed his hand through his messy hair and looked sheepishly at Nya. "I _sort_ of dropped it. Cole pulled off with my hands still attached to his handlebars and I went over my own." He pointed dolefully at the scratches on his gas tank. "That was the end result of trying to delay him."

He didn't mention that he'd landed on the handlebars. He would likely be living down that blunder for the next few days, especially when the bruises would appear.

"I reckon you'll be working for the next few weeks to pay for the repairs then?" Lloyd commented as he walked around Jay's customised trials motorbike. Wincing in sympathy when he saw the damage for himself. "Buckled your front wheel, spokes?"

Jay nodded, "Way to rub it in Lloyd. Ya know, I didn't do it on purpose, I was actually trying to make Cole see some sense but he was obviously thinking with his co-" he stilled when Nya crept up behind him and kissed him on his cheek. "-Hey, N-Nya..." He had blushed with how close he was to saying something crude, he never spoke like that in front of her.

She was quite forward with him and clambered up onto his bike. Literally straddling his lap until she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him in for a hug.

"Good first shift then?" He asked with a cheeky smile as he embraced her warm hug .

She nodded at him, "The girls here are great-"

Jay was sure she wanted to say more and he coaxed her to speak, "but?"

She frowned, "but the pay is so low."

Jay tilted his head to the side. He lifted her jaw with one finger, "Nya, you could just quit. You don't have to work, ya know."

"Yeah, I know...it's not that. Just don't think it's fair that you and Lloyd are the only two who have summer jobs. I thought this would make it fairer for all!"

"Yeah, and I appreciate that sentiment, as does Lloyd. But ya realise, that we could just watch what we spend as a group and then we'd have more money to go around!"

Nya was about to say something, even as she edged ever closer to Jay's lips. But Lloyd's mind was working faster. "So, where's Cole?"

The blissful moment was ruined by Lloyd's insistence for an answer.

Jay broke off the passionate kiss, much to Nya's disappointment. He heard her groan in response. Turning to face Lloyd, "Cole, well-" he paused and took a deep breath before letting it all go, "he went off on a mad race to the place we rode to yesterday morning, Hudson's Bluff? Anyway, he went off with the girl and those guys."

"You left him there?" Lloyd asked, climbing onto his own bike. His mouth open in shock at how calm and collected the master of lightning seemed. "On his own, at this time of night?" He placed his helmet and frowned at Jay and his lack of protective headgear.

Jay wasn't sure what had caused this sudden reaction in his blonde brother. Although he remembered Lloyd mentioning something earlier whilst at work, something about the two teenagers that he worked with saying something along the lines of 'Santa Carla being a cesspool for all things bad and evil.' Jay had taken no real notice though because he was too busy perusing all that the comic book store had to offer, than to listen to Lloyd whine about those two brothers.

Jay knew, in his heart that Cole could look after himself. Still, it was sort of endearing that Lloyd felt so overprotective of Cole. Being the leader certainly had it's pro's...and cons. "What? Lloyd, he's not a kid!"

Lloyd's face wore an expression of concern. He'd only been like this since working with the Frog brother's. They seemed dead set on the fact that Santa Carla was rife with the dead and walking dead. The whole shift had left him feeling brainwashed. He quickly tried a different tactic, "Jay, you know that guy that tried to start a fight with you, yesterday?"

Jay nodded and rubbed his still tender jaw, "how could I forget?"

The blonde master of energy wasn't sure how to say this so he just came out with it, "He's dead, Jay. Both him and his girlfriend. There was news that they'd disappeared, feared dead."

Jay was sceptical about it, just seemed strange that they would just disappear considering how young they all were, "Doesn't mean anything though Lloyd. Maybe they live in a cave too!"

"Loyd, you do realise, it's just a rumour right? I mean I've heard no-one mentioning it. Didn't see anything posted nearby!"

Lloyd frowned at Jay's reasoning, "I still can't believe you left him there, Jay! Rumour or not, we've still gotta be careful. Gotta stick together."

This was getting annoying now, "Urgh, first Cole and now you! What's gotten into both of you? Normally, you guys are the voice of reason but since being on vacation, you've both lost the plot."

"Jay's got a point, Lloyd. You two were both at it, and now Jay's the one with the smarts."

He really wanted to roll his eyes at both Nya and Lloyd, he thought better of it at the last minute, "Fine, ya know what? To appease you, and for an easy life, I'll go and fetch him then, like a good dog! Not like I've got anything better to do right?" Jay quickly and effortlessly loosened his grasp on Nya's waist and allowed her the chance to climb off his bike before siting the right way on it.

"Drive carefully Lloyd, I'll be back at Don's later. _If I get back in one piece, that is._ "

* * *

 _ **Tuesday early morning**_

 _ **The Cave**_

Cole was quickly guessing, that this type of animalistic and carnal behaviour was normal for these guys and maybe even for Star because no one seemed to bat an eyelid at the fact that they were underage drinking, and smoking pot in a condemned wreck of a former hotel. One that had been closed and boarded up at least 80 years ago because of danger that it would collapse in on itself.

And the strangest thing that no one really noticed; was that there was a fricking 9 year old kid who was running around buzzing on E numbers still awake at past midnight.

The earth ninja remembered living at home with his dad. There'd be no way that he'd be allowed to stay up past 9 pm, even during the summer holidays. Lou was a firm believer in routine and summer was no exception to the rule.

But the more Cole thought about it, the more he realised this poor little kid probably didn't have a suitable role model, not that the kid seemed to care. This miniature man was trying his hardest to act like one of the older teens anyway, save for actually smoking weed and drinking the beer. He was drinking root beer though, out of a bottle. They were evidently training him in the art of drinking. Maybe he'd move onto the stronger stuff when he became a teenager too.

Still looking back at Star, Cole saw that she had shied off a little from the main group of guys as they waited patiently for Marco to get back. He watched as she had gone to join the young boys' side. And he noted that her arms were wrapped around him in a motherly embrace.

Cole did, for a few seconds anyway, wonder if she was the boy's mother, considering the affection she was showing him.

A gravelly sounding voice broke up the awkward silence as he hollered his brothers. It was Marco. He'd somehow managed to navigate that rather treacherous path one handed whilst juggling a large box of takeaway food in his other arm. "Feeding time, come and get it boys."

And somehow, he'd done it in record time too. Cole was impressed, and also quite hungry. The initial plan had been to pester Nya at her new place of work and then they'd all eat there after she finished her shift. It was meant to be Jay, Lloyd, Nya and Cole. But now, it had all changed in the blink of an eye and the twist of a throttle.

* * *

Cole looked at Star. His gaze was curious and burning at the same time, like he was trying to figure her out, or figure out what was going on with these guys. He was also wondering why she had suddenly chosen to wrap herself up, like she was about to go to bed. Yet there was no bed, at least not anywhere Cole could see. And, oddly enough, the cave with the addition of the fire barrels had warmed considerably, she still clung to her scarf like it was a comforter though.

His vision was suddenly blocked when Marco cut his burning gaze by walking directly in front with the box of decent smelling food. Cole, again wasn't speaking. He was silently other teens seemed to be thrilled that the food had arrived and in such quick time too. Typically, Marco offered the first choice to the short haired blonde.

He selected a pair of chopsticks, and opened the box. "Chinese...good choice," he said, drawing the words out slowly and meaningfully.

Marco was busy going around tossing these boxes to his brothers, even the kid got one. Star declined. She was standing there with no expression on her face, staring worriedly at Cole.

He caught her gaze but said nothing to the apprehension she was showing. It was apparent that she was nervous for some reason, but Cole couldn't quite place her anxieties.

Again the supposed leader had paused prior to tucking into his food. Stretching his arm out towards Cole, "Guests first!" He offered and passed across a box of rice with some wooden chopsticks.

Cole had raised his hand to decline, he knew that something was off. The quick eye contact between brothers was a dead giveaway that they were planning something. "No, I'm-"

 _'How far ya willing to go Cole?'_ That same thought, circled around his mind. Was it some sort of gang that he'd stumbled into or an initiation, as Jay had mentioned?

The blonde haired man raised his eyebrow as he offered the unopened box, "You don't like rice?" His face was deadly serious as he spoke.

Such a simple question, yet so annoying in tone. Sarcastic even and Cole resisted the urge to narrow his eyes at the tone.

"Tell me Cole, how can a billion Chinese people be wrong?"

 _'Oh, this guy think's he's funny too, just like Jay.'_

Suddenly the appearance of a grin was clear to see at the corner of his mouth, "Come on!" He soothed and passed it to Cole with an evil chuckle.

Taking the white box eagerly, Cole started in earnest and ate the rice heartily. Although, the food in Nya's restaurant now seemed far more appealing than plain boiled rice.

"How're those maggots?" He asked. His face deadly serious as he watched for Cole's potential reaction.


	15. Chapter 15

"How're those maggots?" He asked. His face deadly serious as he watched for Cole's potential reaction.

Cole could hear the other teens laughing. Was this main one testing _him_? This was almost as bad as Jay pranking him and his brothers. Cole hated being pranked, didn't much mind giving it out though. But these guys, they lived in a cave. A cave that faced the raging violence of the waves outside. Miles from Santa Carla, cut off from society. Cole didn't know how far they would push it or how far they would go in this 'prank initiation.'

He let out a half laugh, disbelieving at once. He didn't even entertain the idea that he was eating such a thing as he easily scooped another mouthful of rice into his mouth with the plastic fork they'd provided for him. He watched as everyone else tucked into their cartons too. Plus, the teen with short blonde hair had only just been eating this box before he passed it across.

"Maggots Cole, you're eating maggots...How do they taste?" His eyes were just as deceiving as his open body language.

The mocking laughs had the master of earth pausing. A frown of disbelief now plastered on his chiselled yet unsuspecting face. Surely these teens wouldn't attempt something as cruel and disgusting as that. But then, Cole thought, this could be an _initiation_ , just as Jay had mentioned.

Now he was entertaining the idea and thoroughly ignoring his minds' decision to just ignore the taunts. He made the mistake of looking into his box of food and, as soon as he had, all the colour in his face left in an instant. He saw a box full of maggots squirming and wriggling to get to the surface of the box. The ones underneath would be trapped under the weight of their wriggling counterparts. It was, as he would imagine a tackle box would look like. A tackle box full of bluebottle larvae.

A dry heave made itself known. Cole was immediately disgusted and he launched the offending box. Throwing it as far away as possible from himself, amidst the raucous laughter of the men before him. "Hilarious, no really!"

Cole was still madly spitting out the contents from his mouth. He fought the urge to vomit but it was proving hard. That whole image of seeing maggots wriggling in his box and in his mouth was making his gut contract violently. And his mind was trying its damnedest to rid him of the whole meal, despite his restrained attempts at holding back the regurgitation process. "Yeah, yeah...laugh it up." He grumbled.

Typically and on cue, the whole cavern was suddenly awash with the merciless echoes of the teenagers' laughter. All four of them were laughing sardonically, at Cole's expense.

Cole had noticed that the kid wasn't laughing, he was eating out the contents of his box like a homeless kid that didn't want to waste a drop. It was sad really. Then there was Star, she was looking at the other seated men, then her gaze came back at him. Her eyes wondering, a sense of concern just for him, and him alone.

It was evident she felt something for him, pity mostly, " _Leave him alone_ ," she said.

And within an instant the jeers and gloating had calmed down. The man who had taunted had looked over his shoulder at Star and back at his brothers before taking a second glimpse at the young man before him. He watched Cole curiously.

Cole was looking down at the carton of spilled food, seeing nothing but rice. But even that wasn't enough to quell his disgruntled stomach. Cole had quickly found a stray grain of cooked rice that his mouth hadn't ejected in it's hurry to rid him of what he thought was potential fly larvae. He looked at it in confusion, squeezing it gently to see if it wriggled at all.

His face was devoid of any emotion, "Sorry about that" The leader said quietly, his face now showing genuine remorse.

Although Cole thought that too could be seen as a facade and he avoided eye contact. Choosing to look away and back at the floor. He wasn't entirely sure what had caused his eyes to see something that clearly wasn't there. But he deduced that maybe the hand rolled cigarette had something to do with it. The cigarette in question was still being passed around, albeit slowly. Each person taking a long slow draw from it before savouring then blowing out the fumes and passing it along.

"No hard feelings huh?" The man said.

Cole still didn't know his name, but he looked briefly at him and shook his head the once, "No." He mumbled quietly. He was unsure where to look or what to do. If anything he wished he hadn't sent Jay away now. At least having Jay as back up, might have given him that extra boost of morale that he so seemed to be lacking in. Especially considering these four guys were being typical adolescents.

"Why don'tcha try some beef noodles?" he offered as he passed the open box, complete with chopsticks. "They're good." His darker blonde eyebrows raised as he offered the open box.

The close proximity in the light of the cave allowed Cole a good up close view of the man's face. He had assumed them to be teenagers, they certainly acted like teens after all. But this one, the one who was continually testing him, looked rugged in appearance. He had a platinum blonde mullet that looked almost white in the cave, thanks in part to the low moonlight and the fire barrels. Then there was the contours of his almost ageless face, Cole could quite clearly see a dark blonde growth of facial hair that framed his chiselled jaw.

Cole strained his eyes from the face of the man down to the offered box. He'd taken one look inside and his stomach tried to leave his body via his mouth. He bit back the feeling of bile rising in his throat at the sight that he'd just seen. "They're worms!" he uttered quietly and with the same level of disgust he had felt a few minutes prior.

And yet again, the seated teens all laughed on cue. Jay would have been in his element, had he still been here.

"What do ya mean they're worms?"

The feeling returned tenfold when the man ravenously scooped up a decent amount of supposed worms on his chopsticks and proceeded to place them in his mouth. Cole had wanted to say 'don't eat them' but before he had a chance to verbalise anything, the man had already taken a good mouthful of the soil dwelling creatures and was savouring the taste of earthworm.

"They're only-" he half replied as he shovelled another mouthful off egg noodles, "noodles, Cole." His eyes glistening blue, a certain mischief to them.

"That's enough!" Star's voice again wafted across the cave, breaking up the hilarity that was at his expense.

The leader quickly turned to Marco, and Cole had just about made out the word 'wine.'

Everyone of the young men had gone quiet.

Marco had gone, only to reappear a few seconds later with a bejewelled glass bottle. He placed it carefully into the man's hand and stood back. A sheepish look on his face. Everyone wore the same expression too. A little disconcerting to see such a change in persona.

The leader had uncorked the bottle and had raised it to his lips before taking a decent mouthful. Savouring the taste, like a fine aged and decanted wine. He had tipped it back and kept his eyes closed as the strange russet liquid sloshed around the bottles, until it was righted again.

To Cole, the drink looked like it had a strange hit to it, considering the expression of pleasure that emanated from the leader's face, once he had swallowed it.

Without warning, Star had quickly joined Cole's side, she grasped his shoulder gently. "You don't have to do this."

"Do _what?_ " He mumbled quietly.

The leader leant over and passed the bottle. "Drink some of this Cole," he offered the bottle, just as before. Exactly the same as he had done with the rice and noodles. Offering the refreshments to the guest as an act of friendship, of brotherly bonding.

Cole took a sideways glance and stood taking the offered bottle into his hand. He looked it over, the jewelled bottle had no label, what was he expecting it to say...cherry wine, blackcurrant or raspberry.

This was an initiation, he could tell it was. The chanting was enough to tell him so. His name was called gently, coaxing, testing. "Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole." His name being called out, it was getting louder all the time. Even as he held the bottle in his hand. More so when Star joined his side and urged him to think carefully.

The leader spoke in the same tone, still quiet yet domineering. His voice was more like red crimson velvet, smooth yet sinister. "Drink it Cole, become one of us...join us."

Star was standing behind him and the kid whose face had dropped, was quick to join Star's side too. "Don't!" She muttered clearly, loud enough for him to hear but no others in the vicinity. "You don't have to do this, Cole-" She paused and watched with horror as he brought the bottle closer to his lips. "-it's blood." She urged and cringed when he rebuttled her statement.

He smirked at her, having been played for a fool enough this night, "Blood-" He paused again, rolling his eyes, "-Yeah, right, blood." He tipped the bottle back and drank it down.

As soon as he did, the same sounds of wild feral animals filled the cavern. The sounds of the men cheering him on, now initiated into the group, now one of their brothers. And boy did it feel good.

The drink was unlike any other, it was smooth, a strong taste, easy on the palate and delectable. It was so good that time seemed to stand still and he took mouthful after mouthful of the stuff.

Star had vanished from his side, the kid too, but he wasn't much bothered. He'd get a chance to take her now, for sure. Nothing would stand in his way...nothing, not even his own brothers.

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews everyone xx**


	16. Initiation, trust fall

He was sneaky, it was what he did best.

This was akin to 'a jump start' for his bike, and it also helped him to conserve fuel. Jay had gone as fast as he could on that final run getting it upto 70 miles per hour. No mean feat when the terrain was rough and cracked.

The reverberations from the rough surface sent vibrations up the frame of his bike. It made his arms and hands tingle.

Once he'd got upto a good speed, he'd taken it out of gear on purpose. Releasing the accelerator, he pulled in the clutch lever and placed the gear box into neutral before he switched off the four stroke engine. Technically, he was riding a bicycle with a dead 400cc engine, so it made no noise on his swift but deadly approach.

Of course, it was deadly. If he'd fallen off at that speed, he'd be dead, there was no questioning his own stupidity. But then, he wasn't doing this for him, Jay was doing it to appease Lloyd. He'd not even disclosed that he'd fallen off earlier because Lloyd was too shocked that Jay had dropped his bike and, furthermore, he'd left Cole.

The other fall earlier, he'd been going about 20, it still hurt though, luckily his helmet had taken the brunt.

A huge sigh of relief after freewheeling. Jay had managed to make it back in one piece, he was finally back at Hudson's Bluff. Now he was being guided by the impossible brightness of the moon and the deafening crashing waves of the ocean.

It was odd, he almost had to squint his eyes at the moon because the brightness of it was hurting his retina. As quietly as he could, Jay got off his bike and leaned it against the nearest sapling. Not caring in the slightest that the sapling bent over under the weight. He cringed when his bike fell over again. At least this time, his pride and joy had a softer landing. Now flat against the grassy earth, Jay attempted to hide it with a scant covering of long grass that wouldn't set off a small fire when in such close proximity to the red hot carburetor.

"Haa, Lloyd's annoyed at the fact that the **strongest** master of earth is surrounded by mere Twisted Sister wannabes. But oh no...let's make Jay go and bring him back because _he_ was the one that left him there all alone and helpless, _purlease!_ "

Jay was used to skulking around in the shadows. It was exactly what he and his brothers usually did when paroling at night in their own neighbourhood. And this, this was almost the same. "Just like being back at home right guys?" He whispered into nothingness and very obviously got no response. Just his own huffing and sighs to keep his morale up.

"Except for the fact there are no buildings, at least upright. Only, a wholly submerged one that's been swallowed into a fissure that smells and looks like Santa Carla's filthy butt crack." He snickered at his own humour. Wishing he could note down these tales of wit and humour that he thought of, on the fly.

He had noted that the temperature had dropped considerably in the time he'd been away. It was noticeably cooler, more than when he'd been here just over an hour previous. And, to make matters worse, his ribs were protesting how long he'd been upright for.

Checking the time, it was now nearly 3 am. He was slightly grateful at the fact that he was working tonight and didn't need to get up early. At least he'd be able to sleep all day when he got back.

He walked for a short while and once he gathered his bearings he found a good hiding spot and crouched down low behind an area of long grass. The scrubby grass was just enough to hide his form from the men who were all, at that moment, exiting the cave. It was the perfect position to observe and spy. All he needed was a good pair of binoculars and he'd be set.

"This is so stupid, pointless, a waste of time. And for what? Pandering and pussyfooting around, when he can take care of-" He paused and clasped his hand to his mouth to prevent the steamed mist of his breath from attracting any attention.

Jay could hear them before he could see them. They weren't exactly being quiet and he was shocked when he realised that Cole was being just as noisy as the rest. It was as if the master of earth had been given some cognitive re-calibration. He wasn't acting himself at all. And, there was no sign of the girl either.

If he was spotted he didn't know what would happen, Cole might have been accepted into their little club or cult and Jay was worried about the initiation process. The thought did cross his mind about being pitted against his brother and he bit hard on his knuckle to suppress those feelings. They were still so raw, Master Chen had done it on purpose to break them all apart. It hadn't worked though, Cole and Jay were tight.

And, being Cole's best friend. Jay had given him the privacy he asked for and deserved. Now Lloyd was making him feel guilty about leaving him here.

* * *

"Just what are you all up to, huh?" Jay whispered to himself as he crouched low, in an attempt so as to avoid being seen.

His question was answered for him when they quickly mounted their bikes and sped away.

It left the master of lightning cussing at the ground as he hoisted himself up and off the dry ground to sprint back to his bike. Hoping to God that his bike would still start. He'd done a fair few miles already tonight and his tank was small in comparison to Cole's or Lloyd's. Jay's bike was meant more for tricks, endurance at climbing certain obstacles. It wasn't meant for long distance or green laning, cross country or scrambling. It was slowly showing signs of wear and tear and Jay was heavily biting his tongue.

He removed the grass off his bike and proceeded to follow them, yet again.

This time, he was surprised that they hadn't travelled as far as town. "What the fu-" He squinted his eyes and cut his engine off. "Where are they?" He struggled to see in the cloud obscuring moonlight. But the ground underfoot felt more sturdy until it began crumbling. "Ballast?" He whispered and his fingers crackled enough to show him that the small rock he held was indeed that of ballast. It was the type of stone that signified the beginnings of a rail road track.

And so, he followed it. Stopping only when he saw five motorbikes leaning heavily against a sturdy fence of sorts. It was the rail road track, not just that. It was a bridge that went over a deep valley. He couldn't even see the bottom of the valley, it was misty.

Jay had no idea of what was underneath, it could be a body of water. It was most definitely a ravine. the steep sides told him as much. He walked carefully and set one foot on the bridge. A low distant rumble made him aware that something big was travelling this way, though the speed could not easily be determined.

"Oh crud, no way! Come on Cole, _really_?" Jay mumbled to himself and saw a train approaching. He knew he'd have to wait before even attempting to see where they were. He guessed they were close by as he could still hear them as clear as day yet Jay couldn't see them. It was unnerving and it sent a shiver of fear up his spine.

"COLE?" Jay shouted, it echoed mercilessly but there was still no response. Fear stabbing at his rapidly beating heart, "Cole, where are you?"

The oncoming train was beginning to drown out his voice and the voices of the other men he could barely hear. He wondered if he had enough time to poke his head between the metal sleepers but being as the train was sounding its horn, he guessed not and with a final loud warning, Jay stood abruptly and grabbed onto the nearest railing, yanking himself out of harms way with very few seconds to spare.

The initial gust of wind tugged at him relentlessly and he was never more grateful that his leather jacket was still fastened tight across his muscled torso. He could have sworn he heard Morro laughing at his misfortune but his grip still remained tight.

 _'This little piggie went to market...Jay! I could do it, make you let go, or him. Fall into the path of the train...or fall to his death! Would be so quick and painless, just like my death was!'_

He had quickly turned to his side and held firm onto the guardrail behind him as the train passed obscenely close to his face and body. "You're dead Morro, you died."

' _In death I dwell_...'

"Well, in death you can remain. Stay away from me Morro, and, stay away from Cole...in fact, stay away from all of us."

' _You have no respect for the dead, hmm? No surprise there!_ '

"Touché, you have no respect for the living." Jay hissed into the stronger than usual gust of wind. The strength of it was pulling him towards the side of the train.

A cruel laugh trickled down to him. Jay swore he could feel the rotten breath of Morro on his neck, ' _Haha_ , _Have you even_ _seen yourself, lightning master?'_

Jay ignored Morro, his focus was on the freight train that was, at present, mere inches from his body. Then came the punishing slipstream and Jay's breath held tight as the train took its sweet time, pulling him in at the same time. He breathed out, short shallow breaths and he could feel the strong vibrations of the train under his feet.

The metal bridged viaduct didn't creak or groan at all, it was solid. That was more than could be said about his body. Jay's body, his legs in particular, now felt like jello. His entire body felt different though, he wasn't sure if it was adrenaline from the rush of this whole night, it had given him a buzz though.

"Cole, dammit. This is so reckless." He hissed out and held firm as the train continued to pass. "This isn't like you...COLE?"

His fingers were tingling, everything was aching, none more so than his neck. Subconsciously, his fingers grazed the puncture marks and he cringed when he saw the inky black signs of what he guessed to be his own blood.

The train had finally gone and the rumbling subsided to nothing but a dull vibration. "COLE?" He shouted desperately. "Where are you?"

He poked his head between the sleepers and saw, to his horror, Cole his brother dangling a few metres away. Just dangling by his arms screaming the name 'David.'

Jay knew that Cole could bench press at least his own weight, heck the dude was buff, even had rings and a chin up bar. But having to hold on for so long was impossible. He looked worn out. Although, to Jay, his black haired brother also looked strung out.

"COLE, HANG ON, just hang on, I'm coming." He shouted and ran haphazardly over the sleepers and threw himself to the uneven rail road bridge, grimacing in pain when he hit the metal track. Jay quickly threaded his hands back through the gap and grasped Cole's hand.

Cole looked up at him and he smiled. "Can you hear them? They're alright down there..."

Jay was struggling to hold on, Cole wasn't exactly helping at all, "You been smoking the bad stuff huh? Where's your head at?" Jay clicked his neck and watched as a drop of his blood fell onto Cole's face.

"You're bleeding, Jay!" Cole mumbled quietly as he watched the bloody rivulets forming under Jay's chin.

"Ya think?" Jay laughed in spite of himself, "And you're hanging precariously, wanna explain?"

The position was making it worse, laying prone on a suspended rail road track, using all his upper body strength was bound to bring a healthy supply of blood to his head and neck.

"No-" he replied, his eyes looked down into the mist below before searching Jay's orbs, "Can you stop bleeding on my face?" Cole grunted. His grip slowly slipping from the iron bar.

"Not if ya want me to drop you!" Jay warned with more of a worried expression than humour. "Cole come on, hold on please...I-I can't keep-" He saw the glassy eyed stare of his brother, "-Please Cole, at least try to hold on."

Neither were wearing their usual gloves. A good thing really. Though the gloves formed part of their training gi's, they gave exceptional grip when using sai, katana, shuriken and nunchakus, they were useless when it came to holding onto something for dear life.

"Cole, grab my other hand...please. I'm right here, look, right above you!"

He wasn't expecting what happened next. Each finger slowly unfurling from the metal bar and from Jay's free hand.

Now just dangling by one hand with all his weight pulling on Jay's arm, "COLE-" Jay grunted, "-hold on!"

' _Oh my, quite a predicament, Cole? And this little piggie went-_ '

Jay screamed loudly at Cole when the master of earth let go on purpose. "Fuck, no...NO, COLE!?"

The grasp and the weight of his exponentially heavier brother had simply vanished into the abyss below. "COLE? Cole..." he shouted, desperately trying to listen out for any signs.

He could still hear him.

Cole was yelling on his rapid descent. And Jay only hoped that this was a shallow ravine.

Yet again he stood against his body's strong protestations, running high on testosterone and adrenaline. Hoping and praying that Cole would be in the land of the living. Praying to the God above that his brother was still alive.

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews everyone xx**


	17. Why would you do that?

_**Tuesday early morning approx 3am**_

 _ **Location: Viaduct**_

This whole scenario almost reminded him of The tournament of elements and Chen's obsession with his trap doors. The only thing that made him think of that was Cole's face as he let go. Then, there was a heartbreaking moment that made Jay's soul shiver, it was his expression _before_ he let go. He'd seen something similar with the smile he wore on his face then too. Back in the arena with Chen looking on, Cole's face had exuded nought but acceptance and a serious yet apologetic smile. That particular time, it could be said that the master of earth knew what he was doing by putting all his trust in Jay. Only one could remain, after all.

But with a starling clarity to it all, even in insanity; Cole's happy and relaxed composure in this instant was _not_ shared by Jay. Why would it be? He had been hanging precariously from a metal bridge with a glassy eyed stare. Not even _trying_ to hold on. Not even caring that Jay was there trying to forestall his death drop to the unseen depths below.

Then there was that look. Jay had hoped that his own stern and worried expression would have brought the master of earth back to his senses. The look of sheer and utter fear on Jay's face, would have reflected in Cole's; had the master of earth not been as 'high as a kite' before he let go.

 _'He just...he l-let go. He let go, on p-purpose!'_ Jay stared wide eyed at his shaking hands, trying his hardest to calm his breathing. _**"COLE?"**_

Less than two seconds had passed before Cole had let go and never had the master of lightning scrambled to his feet so fast. His heart was pounding in his chest. He knew palpitations when he felt them because he'd had them before. Typically, the first time was when trying out his flying wings, then there was the time he had palpitations when he was on the roller coaster with Nya, just before he found his true potential.

But this was vastly and horrendously different, this was affecting his concentration and his thinking. The whole dizzying effect was taking its toll on his movements and he became sluggishly uncoordinated as he struggled to focus on jumping over each wooden sleeper to get to the ends of the railroad viaduct, which would signify the starts of the ravine.

"Cole?" He shouted loudly as he ran, righting himself as he stumbled in the darkness.

No answer just his brothers scream that faded which each passing second. "Cole, I-I'm coming... _not that this is gonna help in the slightest because you'll be beyond help when you hit the bottom_." He cringed when he said it and he tried to rid his mind of the sight that could possibly await him when he got to the bottom.

 _'Please be okay, please be okay...'_

The moon was now completely obscured by clouds. It gave no light at all, and what little light washed through the cloud cover, was soon hidden by the swathes of foliage, that further hindered his descent into the dangerous earth made fissure. The deep unforgiving cleft had very obviously been caused by an almighty earthquake, a good few years prior to this place being as heavily populated as it was now.

Jay had sprinted into the steep ravine like _his_ life depended on it. Like _he_ was running for his life from a machete wielding mad man when in fact; it was _Cole's life_ that depended on it.

He knew he was panicking, desperately clinging on to the smallest sliver of hope that Cole had maybe landed in a deep body of water. That something soft could break his fall, something at least softer than what he was dreading the further he travelled into the ravine.

It was so misty. Similar to a cool autumnal night with ground clouds that were providing a soft duvet across the deep ravine. What made it worse was that there were no gentle sounds of water passing nearby. The only thing Jay _could_ hear was the distant rumbling of the tumultuous ocean waves. Other than that, silence except for his own ragged breath sounds and the constant thrumming of his pulse as it reverberated in his ears.

"C-Cole? I-I'm right...right here. Cole?" Jay grunted out when he lurched forwards, nearly losing his footing on the steep decline. At the last second grasping hold of some well rooted wild brush.

There was nothing more risky than being faced with a ten foot sheer drop. But this ledge was laden with shrubs and heather. Jay had grabbed hold, enough to gain a purchase to stop him from falling. "C-can you hear me? I'm on my way down, Cole... _please be okay._ "

He was occasionally calling out to Cole. A way, a self coping mechanism to keep his own sense of failure at bay. Typically, he was getting no response, he hadn't been expecting one.

The further down he travelled, the more the dread crept up on him. Jay now understood that Cole had fallen over 200 feet and that fact alone had made him feel hopelessly worse. But, in a small way it helped him too...gave him a sharp edge and a bold determination to get down the ravine. Even if his attempt to rescue or revive was going to be futile. Jay could still be there to attempt it. And, god forbid, he was determined to get down there, even if it was being there for Cole's final breaths.

"Cole?" He said quietly, hoping that no-one would be able to hear his voice breaking or the deep emotion that he was holding back.

There was no sound, not even wild animals could be heard...unless Morro could be described as one, his breath certainly smelt like death.

Jay was shouting out hopelessly, it kept his darkest thoughts away. Those thoughts were of getting to the bottom of this ravine to find Cole's lifeless body. He wasn't sure he could face that. "Cole?" he called, now more with an air of finality to it. The growing sense of dread was starting to eat at him. "Can you hear me? C-can you focus on my voice?"

His swift descent was only defined by the cracking of rotten sticks underfoot and the swooshing of the leafy foliage that further hampered his journey. It might have explained why he couldn't hear any woodland creatures. They had probably scarpered upon hearing his rushed footsteps dashing through the undergrowth, mistaking him for a wolf perhaps.

* * *

Jay had all manner of things itemised and planned for the late evening. He'd wanted to tease Nya, to enjoy the scenery and the fair. He wanted to spend the night with Nya, secretly, he wanted to wake up next to her. But his moderately well laid plans had all been ruined when Cole saw fit to accept a challenge of male bravado. His masculinity called to the forefront because a girl was involved.

He'd wondered how it could have gone so wrong so quickly. Jay had been gone _literally_ 2 hours; if that. It had taken a good thirty minutes to get back to the Boardwalk, then slightly less getting back to Hudson's Bluff.

Jay knew that this was so unlike Cole. The master of earth was _usually_ so reserved and calm, completely dependable during any potential threats or strategic battle plans. He was the one who kept everything together when everything around them was falling apart. He _was_ the one who never did anything reckless.

And it hurt Jay inside. It hurt to know that Cole, his best friend, had become rash and reckless in the space of one evening. The whole sorry state of affairs had been further exacerbated by the _girl._

That was usually Kai's thing; being rash and having a complete and utter disregard for the rules. But tonight, the tables had been well and truly turned. And it all boiled down to those bikers and _that_ girl...in fact Santa Carla in general.

He bit his bottom lip and felt the tears beginning to sting his eyes. "I shouldn't have left you...I'm sorry. COLE, please?"

* * *

Cole wasn't sure what had happened. He remembered falling, just falling. It was like a dream, the type of dream that would have normally jolted him awake. But he wasn't sleeping, he felt too awake and too cold to sleep. Not just that but he felt pain and fear. He assumed that was the sound he could hear all around him, he could hear the sure sounds of fear.

Then, he was vaguely aware that _he_ had been screaming. When he realised it was him, he stopped immediately but he could feel that he was still falling. There was no fear anymore, he was certain he felt different too. Suddenly and without warning, all he felt was white-hot pain. It prickled everywhere. The pain was so intense and all consuming that his previous screams of terror made way for shrieks of intense agonising pain. Pain that was so _all consuming,_ that he wasn't even aware that his body was hovering a few feet off the ground.

His body, light as a feather drifted down to his own element of terra firma. Not so much as a graze on his skin, just a smattering of dust and dry dirt.

Cole didn't even notice his brother crying as he knelt over him. Didn't see how horrendously out of breath Jay was, nor how completely exhausted he was.

To anyone else, it would have been obvious what Jay was doing. He was checking for injuries and broken bones. "COLE?" Jay had shouted loudly, so loud that he had cringed at the sound of his own voice. "Can...hear...me?"

White noise, some familiar voices drifting in and out. He didn't even recognise Jay's voice, he looked like a complete stranger, a potential threat.

"Cole, stop...thrashing. I'm trying...to help you!" Jay shouted, exasperated as tears fell freely from his eyes. "Y-you let go...over 200 feet...landing without... scratch...bones?"

"David?" It was the only name Cole kept uttering. And, despite Jay's constant attempts at trying to gently correct him, Cole was completely unseeing of the lightning master.

But all Cole could hear was white noise and his own confused thoughts.

"I, uhm...I don't understand how you could fall this distance-" he paused and undid his own jacket, placing it over Cole's shivering form.

Jay had sat on the floor with his head between his knees, mumbling to himself angrily, "-selfish prick! You complete and utter jerk...putting me through this shit for a girl... _ **where is she huh? Where's the girl now?**_ " Rubbing his face, regaining his composure, he turned to face Cole again and put his prized leather jacket on his brother, who was showing signs of shock.

Jay's undershirt was soaked with sweat. "How on earth you didn't get one b-broken bone, or a s-scrape-" He watched as Cole turned onto his side and put his arms into the blue and white leather jacket, "-I'll, I uhm never know."

He wore it with difficulty being unable to zip it up. Cole's frame was bigger than Jay's anyway but the deep blue satin within the jacket warmed Cole up within a instant. So it really didn't matter that the jacket wouldn't fasten. Still, despite the fact that he felt warmer and he had found this jacket on the floor, the master of earth was unseeing of Jay's presence. He was only noticing of himself, to Cole, there were none others around him.

"COLE? Hospital?" Jay mumbled and attempted to get through to his brother but it was no use. "I'll try and get you back up then. Maybe uhm, we should go to the hospital. I mean, you fell pretty far!" Jay said, clicking and craning his neck as he looked above himself seeing nothing but mist again. "I reckon about 200 feet, m-maybe less."

Cole still didn't answer but he climbed unsteadily with a dazed look on his face.

Jay quickly joined his side and carefully hoisted Cole to his feet, grasping him gently under his arms to support his weight. He would have preferred to use a fire mans lift because that lift would at least allow him to spread the weight whilst still having a hand free to climb his way back up. But Cole could somehow still walk and he was fast too.

Jay had started shaking again, likely attributed to adrenaline, "I-I don't understand how you're still standing. You should be, uh, y-you should be d-dead!" His fingers gently began feeling around Cole's neck for a pulse. A little relieved at the fact he could feel the steady rhythmic beat of Cole's heart and the calming sounds of his even breathing. Jay was unsure what was happening or what had just happened, his breathing was erratic and his pulse was racing. But then, the master of earth hadn't just thrown himself down a ravine with Morro's death breath taunting him each step of the way.

No, Cole had come down the fast way, somehow completely avoiding any injury whatsoever. He looked the glassy eyed picture of health.

"Cole, can you hear me, do you even know that I'm holding you?" He noticed that Cole's weight was lessening somewhat. The master of earth was fighting his grasp and was beginning to walk on his own again. Yet he still wasn't speaking to Jay, "I don't understand wh-what's gotten into you tonight! Did I do something wrong?"

The weight of his heavier brother had once again disappeared from his grasp and no sooner had the master of lightning looked up to see what Cole was doing, he noted to his horror that Cole had gone. The master of earth had only gone and sped up the ravine like a professional ravine climber. "Cole, where are you going? A little help here...maybe!" He hissed out as he found himself stuck on the ten foot sheer face. Within minutes of being stuck there he heard the most annoying noise in the world at that moment. He heard the all too familiar sound of a motorbike being kick started. Then the infuriating sounds of said motorbike engine as it revved loudly and then sped off.

He sat alone on that ledge for what felt like hours. Clicking his neck every so often whilst feeling an overwhelming desire to sleep. Once he finally succumbed to the odd feeling of drowsiness, he was vaguely aware that a heavy set but mature hand was hoisting him up. He felt that he'd been sleeping for mere seconds,whilst someone or something was pulling him up, dragging him upwards at a frightening speed, almost against the clock and the impending sunrise. Somehow, whoever was pulling at him, they seemed to be careful at avoiding the majority of tree trunks. Jay hadn't hit a single one. He had a strong feeling that it was Cole though. At least he hoped it was him.

The only person it could be was Cole, surely!

 **Thanks for the reviews everyone xx**


	18. Tuesday night

_**Tuesday**_

 _ **Location: Donald's home**_

When Cole had got back it was just before sunrise. The ball of impossible golden light was just breaching the horizon when he had thrown himself onto the bed.

It had painted the sky a cool shade of pale blue verging on orange at its beginning, not that he had noticed it. He had placed the bike against the shed and walked in quietly. No one else was awake, normally they would have been had they been back at the monastery. Sunrise exercise and Sensei Wu's stiff upper lip was unlike any other regime. He was ruthless in his training requirements of all his students when it came to keeping their bodies in peak physical perfection.

He crept quietly up to the double bedroom, locked the doors and collapsed, still wearing his clothes, and Jay's jacket.

* * *

His brother's only knew of Jay's disappearance when Cole had finally come out of his room at five pm. Typically, because of the clear presence of Jay's motorbike, they had assumed that the lightning master was asleep. He was meant to be working night's this week anyway. But at just past seven pm and the rapidly fading sunlight, questions were being asked and Cole wasn't giving any definite answers, ones that made any lick of sense anyway.

"Where the hell is he, Cole? Where's Jay?" Kai hissed. He had the earth master pinned up against the kitchen wall, "You were the last to see him. Come on, you gotta know something?" This was getting annoying now, Kai had been asking the same thing for almost thirty minutes. And, Cole's answer had been the same each time, this time was no different.

"I don't know, I can't remember." His face was stern, serious. "I just woke up, and saw his jacket on the floor. I thought he'd gone to work or-"

"You were wearing his jacket, you don't remember?" Kai fumed, rolling his eyes. "Were you stoned last night? You smoke weed or something?"

"I-I honestly don't know what happened." Cole reiterated, taking a deep breath in before releasing it slowly. "Seriously Kai, can you get off of me?"

"You remember who Jay is though, your best friend?" Kai asked with his head cocked. His grasp was firm on Cole's still dusty shirt, the one from last night.

Cole nodded slowly, "I'm not stupid Kai, just confused,"

Kai harrumphed, "Debatable, right in this instant. Anyway, you see green machine over there?" He pointed with his head. It was quite handy that Kai had spiky hair as the most prominent one pointed directly at Lloyd and the master of energy flinched under the scrutiny of both Cole and Kai.

The master of earth nodded again. "I know who Lloyd is, Kai, you really don't need to do this." He grasped Kai's hand gently but recoiled it just as fast when he felt it heating up enough to burn if Cole pushed any further.

Kai pulled Cole's gaze back towards his own, "Of course, of course...what was I thinking?" He narrowed his eyes and his glare became dark and dangerous. Now both hands were grasping Cole's shirt firmly and he rammed Cole's back against the kitchen wall. "Oh, that's right. I'm doing this because you came back last night without Jay, you left him there, wherever you were. And-" he paused flicking his head without taking his eyes of Cole.

"-Green machine over there thought it would a good idea to send Jay off to bring you back. Bet we regret it now though, dont we?" He bellowed loudly and knew that Lloyd was listening.

His face was inches from Cole's " _He_ sent Jay to haul your sorry ass back here. Back to relative safety before you ended up doing some god knows what, reckless shit. And ya know what, he did it because Lloyd had a bad feeling, nothing more. Maybe because both Jay and Lloyd truly cared about you, I don't know, but it's evident you don't feel the same way!" Kai shrugged in a nonchalant manner. "When was the last time you saw him, huh?"

Cole's mind was trying to piece together the various fragmented parts of his memory, putting them into some type of order amidst the chaos that was currently plaguing his usually solid state of mind. "I remember the race, and the bridge."

' _What would_ _you know_ _Jay? You've let Nya string you along, for years...go home Jay_!'

Cole cringed, "I told him to go home..." he replied. Further biting his lip as some of last nights conversations slowly started to come back to him.

"What bridge?" Kai asked, not recalling any bridges on their journey from over 24 hours ago.

"You think Jay would just leave you without feeling some kind of concern?" Kai recoiled sarcastically. "He's your best friend, dude. I guess he felt stupid for leaving you. And yeah, Lloyd made it slightly worse because he made Jay feel guilty for giving you _your_ alone time."

"It was just a rail bridge. And, for the record he did leave me, Jay said he was coming back for Nya because her shift was ending. Look, it's not my fault, KAI!"

His jaw clenched, his fiery amber eyes were burning brightly. Cole's blase attitude was severely irritating and making Kai's mood worse, "I never said it was, COLE! He's your best friend, do you even care where he is? Or are ya still thinking about her?"

"He didn't need to come back for me. Told him I could take care of myself." Cole said ruefully.

"KAI-" Zane quickly grasped at the master of fire's hand. It was a swift manoeuvre and it would have been executed perfectly had it actually landed on Cole's face. The master of ice had cooled the visible flamed fist as it fizzled out to nothing, "I must talk to you outside...NOW!"

And with that, he pulled Kai with him and Kai, as expected, protested against his brothers' firm and unrelenting grasp. All the while his burning amber eyes were still locked onto Cole's.

* * *

Once outside, he had gently pushed Kai up against the side of the house, although he had been more gentle in his restraint than Kai had been with Cole, "Violence is not the answer Kai," Slowly releasing the master of fire, Zane allowed him to straighten his casual attire. "I am sorry for the impromptu interruption of your _particular_ questionable _interrogation_ techniques." He emphasised the words he spoke because he was vaguely aware that Kai could easily lose control. He would make an excellent bad police officer.

Kai bit his bottom lip, and rubbed his face, "Sorry, I got a bit _heated_ didn't I?"

Zane's mouth almost curled into a slight grin at the pun but he refrained, "A little, perhaps but perfectly understandable, considering the unknown that we are facing." His eyes looked away for a few seconds and no more. "You saw how emotional everyone was?"

"Yeah-" Kai replied sheepishly, "I know I overreacted, but you can't exactly blame me. Cole doesn't remember much from last night, I just saw red when he kept shrugging it off, like ya know, he'll come back when he's ready."

"My first level analysis is to state that Cole is not in the right state of mind, at this moment. And, I can only deduce that something happened last night to cause this mental shift.

"Yeah, fairly obvious analysis there Zane," Kai replied sarcastically and dusted the cobwebs from his shoulder. From being rubbed up against the outer shingles of the wooden house.

"The only other person who knew what may have occurred, was Jay." Zane stated gently.

"Yeah, You think I don't know this? Ya know that he was wearing Jay's leathers, where the hell was his own?"

Zane shrugged his shoulders, "His black jacket? I do not know, I cannot answer that."

Kai was still annoyed, the heat wasn't even affecting him but the dehydration was beginning to, "Neither can I, neither can he, Zane. Cole can't remember much from last night. He can't even remember seeing Jay after the bridge or whatever _or_ how he came to be wearing his jacket."

Zane narrowed his gaze at Kai. "-Lloyd has already told me what had transpired before Jay left. And-" He looked at the dusty red and white station wagon as a possible and useful tool for finding what they were all looking for, "-he is remorseful, I believe. He realises now that maybe he was too harsh with his orders...perhaps his shift yesterday was particularly draining of his mental stamina and fortitude!"

Not that Kai was bothered by that, it was Lloyd's choice to work in a comic book store. Whether he was a devout comic book nerd or not, Lloyd had been going on about it since he'd seen the job advertisement. Even his face was a comic book picture when he told his brothers that he had been accepted as a new employee.

"He's been gone most of the damn day and Cole's only just woken up. It's almost 7 pm Zane, you're telling me we're just gonna sit here and wait?"

Zane looked down to the ground and fumbled in his lower pockets, "I have already phoned the local hospital." He was quick to state but his frown deepened, "His description did not fit any patient records. Not that they can give too much information to complete strangers."

Kai pinched the bridge of his nose, trying his hardest to block out the incessant wailing of Nya, "Well, what are we waiting for huh?"

Zane raised an eyebrow, " Excuse me?"

"Let's go find him. Lloyd said Hudson's Bluff right? Well, let's go there first."

"Should we perhaps tell our brother's and Nya where we are going or are you planning on going rogue?" Zane tilted his head, as he fished the keys from his pockets and waived them at Kai.

"I don't want Lloyd being left alone with Cole and I don't think we can leave Cole alone in this state. We'll all go." Kai said with a firm smile.

He turned to make a start for the front door, "hitch up the trailer too, Cole came back on Jay's bike last night and it's wrecked. Reckon, Cole's bike will still be nearby, maybe the location will wrack his brains a little?"

He barged through the door and grabbed Cole by the front of his shirt and dragged him out into the fading sunlight. "Fancy another jaunt to Hudson's Bluff, Cole?"

"Wh-What?" Cole shielded his eyes from the sunset and squinted at the rays, choosing to place his sun shades which further irked Kai.

"Really Cole, It's almost sunset...too bright for ya?" He opened the car door carefully and allowed Cole entrance first, "I thought we could take a little trip to the scenic rugged cliffs that you and Jay raced to yesterday?" He said, trying to jog Cole's memory, "Remember? The race and the girl?"

Cole's face softened, his firm jaw relaxed, "Star?" He mumbled as he looked up at Kai.

Kai shook his head gently, "That her name, huh? Well, in that case then, yeah. Retrace your steps, sorta thing, you okay with that?" He didn't care if Cole said no, that was what they were going to do anyway. "You hit your head last night?"

Cole nodded lazily and allowed Kai to pull him none too gently into the car.

Kai cast a sympathetic glance at the motorbike, the thing was covered in dents and scrapes. Most of the engine was leaking and spewing oil but at least Cole had thought to lean it against the garage, rather than dumping it on the floor. "Figures, ya know Jay's gonna be pissed that you wrecked his bike. He saved up for that, took him ages."

"I don't even remember riding it back here. But I vaguely recall that Jay had an accident last night and fell off in the woods-" He offered, "-but he was okay, still standing and then he went back to pick Nya up."

He placed Cole in the back seat and buckled his seat belt. He didn't stop there either, he put the child safety lock on too and climbed in the other side.

They didn't have to wait long before the rest of the gang joined them. It was nothing like it had been a little over 48 hours ago when they had set off in search of the rolling hills and the wide expanse of off-road tracks they'd read about. This time it was sombre and sobering at the same time.

Nya had climbed into the back, and sat quietly.

Zane however had opted to drive and he was quickly joined by Lloyd.

It was dusk and the sky had turned from a warm red to a rich deep blue. The odd bright star now dotting the sky as Zane started the engine. "I will drive to Hudson's Bluff. I am hoping that it will create at least some recollection Cole!" He passed the map to Lloyd and waited for the master of energy to mark down the easiest route to where this train bridge was.

"It's not accessible by car, only by foot-" He craned his head and looked in the rear view mirror, "-or motorbike."

Kai shuffled uncomfortably behind Zane, So let's go, when we get nearer we can walk, maybe split up into groups?"

* * *

 _ **Tuesday night**_

 _ **Location: Viaduct road side**_

The journey from Don's was quick. Painfully quiet but quick regardless. Zane had pulled up into a lay-by that was just off the beaten track and everyone had gotten out of the dusty station wagon. Now all stationed at the boot, Zane silently handed each member a torch, Walkie Talkie, and a small first aid pack.

"This is the wilderness, you never know what dangers could be out here at this time of night." Zane reasoned,"Right groupings, I suggest, Lloyd and Nya stay together, whilst I will remain with Kai and Cole. Keep in contact and report back any findings."

"And what if we get lost?" Nya questioned.

"Do you doubt yourself Nya?" Zane asked, with a curious gaze. "If you think that you may lose your sense of direction then ask Lloyd, he has the ordinance survey map of this area. And if all else fails, Lloyd can use his element. I am sure we would be able to see the bright green translucent glow."

That was all he said as they quickly gathered any other belongings they might have needed and each group set off into the wilderness.

"Cole, I'm sorry about earlier-" Kai said quietly, "-just, I was, _still am_ concerned about you and about Jay." He passed a torch to his brother, whom he noted still hadn't really spoken. "Any of this look familiar?" He asked, whilst rubbing Cole's upper arm. For some unexplained reason, Kai felt a chill rip through him when he felt how cold his brother was. The master of earth was ice cold but not even shivering. "Are you cold?" He enquired, confused as to why. It was the middle of summer, the temperature during the day had been in the 90's and even at dusk the temperature had only dropped into the mid 70's.

"Actually, Kai, I've never felt this good. It feels like I've had a burst of energy." He straightened up and took a deep invigorating breath. "Hang on, this area...it looks familiar."

"Then lead on, We were hoping that this might ah, 'jog' your memory somewhat." Zane said, motioning the master of earth to take the lead.

"It's too dark to really make anything out for sure but-" He looked down and saw visible tyre tracks, "I think we headed this way, although I'm not sure if we came in this way or left this..." His stomach rumbled just as loudly as a tremor would have done. "Sorry, I'm feeling hungry."

"Yeah, I bet Jay is too." Kai said, devoid of any emotion. "Look Cole, we can all eat when we get back. Donald said something about making one of his famous chilli dishes. I'm sure you can at least try to focus on this mission first?"

Another few hundred yards had been walked and Cole stopped his brothers, "You hear that?"

"I can hear a sound similar to metal rails vibrating thus signifying that a heavily laden vehicle is approaching. Likely a diesel train, and not too far from our current location?" Zane offered.

Cole nodded and led the way again. Shining his torch onto the dry undergrowth whilst holding carefully onto each tree trunk he passed. Mindful of the roots that would be easy to trip if ever the unsuspecting jogger decided to come through here.

"Hey guys?" Kai held his hand up and flashed his torch to get their attention, "-reckon Lloyd's trying to get out attention!" He motioned to the bright green light that sent a warming glow through the dense woodland. "Come in Lloyd?"

The device crackled to life and Nya's voice came to life over the radio transceiver, "We've found Cole's bike and Jay's helmet."

Cole's heart started to race. Now he was worried and it was beginning to show. "Ask her where they found them both."

"Nya, where did you find them?" The device crackled again as the message was sent.

It felt like time stood still when the message was sent because all Cole could hear was the sound of his heart and strangely enough, the sound of Kai's too.

"By the train bridge. It looks like an, uhm an aqueduct." Lloyd replied, slightly out of breath

"If the bridge is solely for the purpose of a watercourse then it is a an aqueduct. I think, what you are referring to is a viaduct. Can you see down the edge of the bridge or hear any water below?" Zane questioned.

"I can't hear any water, and it's quite clear down there, there's nothing that I can see that would identify a person." Lloyd answered clearly, now his breathing was back under control. "The only problem, we've got no ropes!"

"Okay, well so far this part of the wood had brought up zero results, so we'll head back towards your location," Kai passed the device back to Zane.

"Lloyd thinks we should all go down and take a look?" Nya said with come uncertainty.

"Green machine, you need to send up another signal before you even think about going under the bridge."


	19. Jay's Thursday night

_**Thursday night**_

 _ **Location: unknown**_

It was mostly dark when he finally woke up. But a dull 20 watt lamp light had been left on and a further brighter light was visibly threading through the sides and bottom of the closed door frame. It was just enough to see that he was in a bedroom, on a moderately comfortable single bed, and, he was surprised to find that work clothes had been left for him on the end of said single bed.

However, it was hugely disconcerting to find that he wasn't in his own room back at Donalds' place. This place seemed older, if that was possible. With the addition of dark varnished wooden shutters that covered the small transoms on the inside. At first it felt like he was back at the monastery but then there was a putrid smell that was being heavily masked with the unmistakable scent of cedar wood moth balls, that alone made him think otherwise. It also made him think that the strong smell was possibly hiding something utterly revolting.

Finally daring to get up, he stretched his long legs out of the bed and placed each foot carefully on the cold floor. ' _No carpet, just floor boards,_ ' He thought but it still didn't make any difference. He still had no idea where he was.

He ached when he stood and the floor creaked and groaned underfoot. Looking down in the semi darkness, Jay was expecting to find some hint of bruising on his bare chest. He wasn't disappointed, it was there as clear as day... a sickly green that reminded him of Morro.

Then he noticed a multitude of smaller dressings on both his arms. "Why do I look like I've been freebasing?" He mumbled to himself, lifting the dressing to check the wounds.

"Never mind," he wasn't really sure what had happened there but figured it might have had something to do with his eventual rescue.

Adjusting his eyes, he fumbled around the wall until he came upon an old metal light switch. He cautiously flicked it on and squinted with the newfound brightness. The room was tastefully decorated, although somewhat outdated. It was, or _had_ possibly been a boys bedroom in its prime because everything was blue, quite handy that it was his favourite colour too.

"There is a drink on your table, it'll make you feel better," a mature well spoken male voice spoke from the foot of the stairs.

Jay said nothing but walked back to the side of the bed and raised the glass to his lips. Tasting it before savouring it as if it were a full bodied wine. Thinking more on it; it had been a good few hours since he'd last had a drink or even a bite to eat and he was ravenous. This drink tasted salty but it was transparent, he deduced it could be a re-hydration drink, all he could taste was sodium and the tang of metal.

"You were in quite a state when my son found you!" The voice said as it neared his location.

He unlocked the bedroom door from the outside and was happy to see that Jay had drank the entire glass. "You can stay here, all you had to do was ask. There is plenty of space after all!"

Jay looked up at the man, he recognised him straight away. It was his boss, how embarrassing, "I'm not homeless, it was just an accident last night!"

"An accident, as to how you came to being all alone in the wilderness, without so much as a jacket on you?" Max questioned, "and, this may come as rather a shock but it was almost three days ago, dear boy."

"What? I've been out of it for two nearly three days?" He stared in disbelief. Still feeling incredibly tired he yawned and stretched widely. His fingers didn't even brush the ceiling as it was so high. "Two day's, really?"

Max simply nodded, "A terrible state when I finally found you."

"I must have been really tired or something." Jay had wanted to avoid talking about the reason he was stuck on the ledge. He wasn't sure if Max would believe him anyway, or if he would high tail him down to the police station to give a statement.

"Perhaps you were. So-" he said as he neared Jay, "you were on a steep ledge, half dressed, what other explanation was there for me to think? No, I simply saw a young man that could use a roof over his head and some warm clothes on his back."

Jay wasn't sure if he was being genuine or not, Max seemed very placating when dealing with the often rowdy customers in the store. And he always spoke in such a calm manner the rest of the time.

"Well, like I said, I'm not homeless." Jay shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny, "Last night, sorry, uh, I mean the _night before_ it was just a mistake. The reason why I was half dressed was cos I gave my jacket to Cole."

"Ah that must have been the one who pasted this to the Boardwalk notice board this afternoon!" Max replied and passed a pale blue sheet of A4.

Jay had sat back on the bed, now he felt wholly uneasy with the situation. Even though he had no actual idea where he was. His eyes roving painfully over his own photo and the words underneath that read 'missing, please call.' It made his jaw tighten in response. "Why didn't you call them, you just said you've had me here for two days?"

"I phoned, a few times actually-" he said calmly with a smile that never left his face, "-no one answered the phone, there was no option to leave a message. And, not everyone can afford a mobile phone."

"Right...so no hospital either?"

"There was no need, what could they do? Besides, you work for me, for a reason that pertains to your lack of personal finance. I believe that answers your question."

"I guess, so uhm," Jay started and watched as Max removed the key from the outside of the bedroom door. "-how did _you_ know where to find me?" He frowned slightly when he realised that Max was holding a rather large iron door key, "hang on, did you lock me in here?"

Max's face was gentle but stern. His features smiling yet showing that he stood for no nonsense. "One of my son's found you, _initially_." He looked a tad embarrassed at the key he held, "-force of habit, I'm afraid. It was to be expected when I had so many unruly sons with no maternal figure to keep them in check."

"Hmm," Jay mused, "Do I know _him_ or these other sons you're talking about?"

Jay was looking at Max's strange choice of clothing. It was almost as garish as the ensemble he wore on his first night at the video store. A bright pink fitted shirt in place of a luminous green one, that he was wearing under a hounds tooth suit jacket with plain grey chinos.

"You may have made _his_ acquaintance, a few days ago or even in the store the day before."

Jay couldn't understand why Max was being so vague. Or even why he'd been bought back here. He was fairly sure that when he had applied for the job, he'd put his current place of abode down, and that address was Donalds' home. "I don't know anyone's name though, not really had enough time to socialise with the locals."

' _Not that I'd want to, unless I'm being paid for it.'_

"It was Paul-" Max said quickly, "-he said he found you earlier that evening when you fell off your bicycle." There was a definite smirk, Max was attempting to hide it but failing miserably.

"Yeah, actually it was a _motorbike_!" Jay corrected sarcastically. **_Was_** , being the opportune word.

"-So it was Paul that I encountered. He was the one hovering above me when I came to huh?" Jay rubbed his neck subconsciously. Frowning when he felt some form of dressing residing there. His frown growing even darker when he realised that Max's eyes were staring at his neck too. Almost like he wanted to sink his teeth in, or maybe he already had. It would certainly explain all the marks down his arms.

"This is all very nice of you uh M-Max but I've already got a place to stay..."

"Well, that maybe the case, think on it perhaps. After all nothing is set in stone."

"And about tonight-" he stopped petting his dog and stood tall, "-I thought that, being as we are both due on shift, that I could offer you a lift in. Seems like the right thing to do after all, now that you're awake and feeling better. We are a few staff members down this week, and we could use all the help we could get."

"What, you want me to work tonight?" Jay asked with a furrowed brow. He noted the snowy white dog that had remained near Max's legs. It reminded him of Donald's Malamute husky. So fluffy and this one was pure white. The fluffy creature was even approaching Jay without being prompted.

"If you feel up to it. It'll come with a nice paycheck at the end of the week!"

"Can I check in with my brothers first? They're gonna be worried sick about me."

He smiled again, "of course, during your break. I'm not a task master."

Jay still wasn't buying it. This whole situation felt weird and because he hardly knew the guy; the conversation was going stale. "So uh, is this your place?" he inquired, looking around at the old original features which included coving and delicate glass pendant shade that hung from the tall ceiling.

Max shook his head and his finely slicked back hair didn't move, "No, this isn't my house. We live near the ocean don't we Thorn?"

Jay wasn't sure if the dog was going to answer Max's questions of him, as every other thing he asked, the old man chose to answer the question with a question, to his dog. "So whose house is this then? Where exactly am I?"

Max looked up and his smile faltered, although his gaze never really wavered. "This is Ms Johnson's house."

Why was that name familiar to Jay. He remembered it from somewhere and it was recent too. "And who's Ms Johnson, is she a customer of yours, a relative?"

Max shook his head, "No, she's a very good friend."

Jay could sense he was lying. He couldn't quite place it though but he knew that he didn't want to stay here another minute, "S-sure, I'll accept the lift to work-"

He thought for a moment. His eyes widening in realisation, "I don't suppose _Paul_ thought to bring my bike back to safety? Not that I don't trust the wildlife and stuff-" He asked as he knelt down to stroke the dog, "It's just, I left it next to the railway bridge."

"There was only one motorbike there, a black one." He replied and smiled, "Like I said, You're more than welcome to stay here. Much closer to the store after all, and what, your temporary residence is a good twenty or so miles out of town? The bus system can take hours to get from the Boardwalk to any where near where you live."

"Uhm, I guess! I'll still need to phone, or maybe not..." He hissed at himself when he realised he didn't even know Donald's number. "Could I get an hours break tonight then? Speak with my girlfriend? At least to tell her I'm okay."

"Sure," He nodded, "Look Jay, this would just be a temporary thing. Maybe until the end of this week? Then you'll have the end of the weekend off, plenty of time to spend with your brothers and your _girlfriend_."

"Maybe just tonight then, being that I haven't got my bike." He fumed a little but let it go because in a sense he was stranded here. "Max, can I call you that?" he asked unsure if he was allowed to call his boss by his first name.

The man with clear rimmed glasses nodded and patted his dog gently. "That's my name isn't it Thorn?"

"I can't stay here for the week." He replied quickly, "I'm fairly sure that my brother's would be a little suspicious?"

"If there is anything I could offer you to get you to change your mind just name it? It would make it so much easier for this week anyway."

Now Jay thought his boss was sounding desperate and it was making him feel awkward, more than he was anyway whilst standing in a pair of borrowed pyjama bottoms. He thought carefully and chuckled, "A good payrise wouldn't go amiss..." He joked out and smirked.

His smirk instantly fell when Max thought about his request "If that is what you really want, I guess a little wage rise could be arranged once you've passed your probation period."

"In the mean time-" He gestured to the new work clothes, "You'll be working in the basement of the video store learning how to repair the VHS devices and videos. And, we'll be leaving in twenty minutes."

And with that, Max had left the room. At least this time it was unlocked. " _Awesome-_ " Jay mumbled quietly whilst rolling his eyes, "-If this guy has some Stephen Kings 'Misery' thing going on then I'll be screwed. Well, just as screwed as Cole's going to be when I get my hands on him!"

Jay had been left to dress. A thousand and one unanswered questions were going through his head and they mostly evolved around his brothers and Nya. Then there was the odd way that Max was attempting to interact with him. It was downright controlling behaviour. There would be no way in hell that Jay would be spending anymore nights here.

He whispered quietly and huffed as he grabbed the new maintenance clothes before hauling on the thickened protective trousers and the similarly coloured beige short sleeved shirt. "You're so dead Cole..."


	20. Thursday late

**_AN_**

 **I'm deviating slightly from the original plot because I don't want to be pulled up for plagiarism. So, some parts are my own and others belong to the movies / comics. The Lost Boys; circa 1987 and The Lost Boys 2: The Tribe; circa 2008.**

 **Oh, The Widow Johnson...ugh don't even. Even writing about her is horrid.**

* * *

 ** _24 hours previous_**

 ** _Wednesday night_**

They both strolled up to the main desk of Santa Carla deputy Sheriffs department. A grim sinking feeling in the pit of their stomach. It was a feeling, a feeling like they had given up. This, right here, this was the acceptance that they could do no more. The undeniable truth that they had nothing to go on, no clues nor real evidence.

This quiet place was just out of town. Quite handy really as the main police station was heavily overrun by incapacitated drunks and other such lowlife criminals. This office though, it was well off the beaten track. There were literally a few stragglers, likely staff members just loitering around the coffee machine.

Donald, wherever he was, hadn't been back for the same amount of time that Jay had been missing and the whole thing seemed very suspicious. But at least he'd had the decency to place the directions to all of the relevant emergency services should he ever need use of them.

Lloyd, Nya and Zane had remained in the station wagon. Two of which were now fast asleep. The only sounds that could be heard were the intermittent snuffles coming from Nya. But Zane, as ever, was there to console both.

All of the ninja were exhausted. They had been searching for near on seven hours without a break. They had even traversed down the ravine where they had found Cole's jacket before travelling back up again. Had even found the helmet and secured Cole's dirt bike onto the U-Haul trailer. But then there was nothing, the clues had dried up.

"Cole look at this," Kai motioned his woeful brother to the notice board. There was an old looking computer screen that had a database attached for consumer use. "It's the California Coastal Missing Persons Foundation, I don't know, maybe it's worth a try?"

He typed a few keys and read, "A site that lists ads for missing persons. Geez, Santa Carla and Luna beach are both level pegging for missing people, weird!"

Cole noticed and frowned, "The welcome sign was true then?"

"I guess," Kai shrugged, "-I never saw the back did I?"

Cole squinted his eyes to read the green writing as it displayed on the old PC. His frown deepened when he read the message out loud, **"** _Warning! Our web site has been breached. A number of missing persons have mysteriously been deleted from our database. We apologize for any inconvenience or distress this may cause. We are looking into the problem."_

"Yeah right, course they are," He mumbled, shaking his head, "-Figures...So, the old fashioned way then?" Kai said with a furrowed brow as he pulled a weary Cole to the front desk.

Both ninja of earth and fire had approached the desk and had already politely introduced themselves.

"We're here to register and file a missing person's report." Cole stated clearly. There was a huge feeling of dread creeping up on him as he spoke. He almost felt guilty.

"Mhmm, and how long has the person been missing for?" The officer questioned without looking up from his coffee.

"As of right now?" Kai replied, figuring it out in his head from the hours that Cole had mentioned. "Thirty six hours," Kai replied, his expression had dropped. His face lost all of its colour as he eyed the 'missing presumed dead' posters all around them.

* * *

They proceeded to tell the rotund police officer of their missing brother. It was painfully obvious that the officer had other pressing matters on his hands because he wasn't remotely interested. Yet, to show face he obliged their needs and acted casually by jotting down the relevant details, namely; age, height, weight and build.

"Full name?" The Sheriff asked without raising his eyes from the old out dated IBM keyboard. The keys of which, looked incredibly worn.

"James Walker," Kai added, nervously. "But he goes by Jay Walker."

The sheriff half laughed at that "Really?"

It wasn't even entertained by Cole or Kai as both had heard that same line numerous times.

The police officer had finished tapping in the details and along with the wallet sized photo they had given, he added it all to an archaic database, "all right-" he turned to look up to Kai and Cole with a firm moustache covered upper lip, the slightest sympathy visible on his face, "-We'll call you."

" **That's it?** " Cole interrupted before the man had a chance to say more. Not that he'd said much to begin with. The conversation was almost as stale as a two day old baguette loaded with a week old paella.

"Sir?" The officer spoke calmly, "We have a system here!"

"So that's it, you're just gonna type his name into a computer and hope someone turns him in, like a dog pound?" Cole added, his hand raised for added emphasis, not that he need to emphasise how worried he already was.

The notice board they had walked past on the way in hadn't made either of them feel any better. "Isn't that kind of _**passive?**_ " Cole added, in frustration.

"Son?" The Sheriff added again, in a belittling tone, "We have a system," he repeated.

Cole visibly tensed and his jaw clenched so much that Kai had to hold him back some, "Listen, officer there's gotta be-"

" _ **Sheriff**_ ," he corrected firmly and his eyes narrowed at the two teens who stood before him.

Cole almost lost it, Kai took over, "Sheriff, I'm sorry-" Kai added, "-there's gotta be something else you can do in the mean time?"

"Son?"

Cole further tensed at the continued use of the term like it was a pet name.

"We have a system," he warned slowly.

"I'm really worried about him!" Kai added, as a last hope to make the Sheriff feel some empathy towards their dire situation. "Please!"

"Mmhm, Well, we have a lot of missing persons around here."

Kai looked around, rolling his eyes in exasperation. Remembering vividly the sheer amount of posters on and around the Boardwalk. "I know," he said sarcastically,

Cole nudged him in the ribs to tone it down because he noticed that Kai was getting just as irate.

"-But what if they're _not_ missing? Ya know, what if it's something else?" Kai added with more insistence, his voice getting louder. He didn't want to have to spell it out but the word 'murder' was springing to mind. "Really, you got nothin?"

The sheriff looked at them again, not even perplexed or concerned. His phone began ringing, "Son hit the road, we have a system."

"Santa Carla, Sheriff McGraw," he said clearly into the receiver, "Really that big huh? Yeah I caught a 25 pounder!"

It was obvious that the phone call wasn't as important and it was further aggravating the situation. He was talking about something big that someone had stumbled upon but then it turned out to be about the biggest catch one of his personal friends had caught when out fishing the local lakes.

"There's nothing more we can do, Cole. We've just gotta wait it out." Kai said.

He couldn't even look Cole in the eye, just turned on his heels and pulled the stunned master of earth from the sheriff's office. "Come on, we need to get home, maybe see if Zane can plug in that phone of Donald's."

"Then what?" Cole asked, "We wait for this lot to help, to intervene?"

Kai nodded and cocked his head, "Sorta, we need to go to the library. Get some flyers printed off and post them around town tomorrow."

* * *

 **Current time**

 **Thursday almost midnight**

His break time came around fast. Thank god!

Working in the basement was spooky and incredibly lonely. He only had the one other maintenance engineer down here with him and he hadn't spoken a word, just grunted on occasion and cussed every so often. But the time had flown. Most of his down time had involved him phoning the telephone number on the flyer, discreetly of course. He didn't want Max too find out he'd been using the majority of his time trying to call his brothers, to no avail.

The first part of the night was so incredibly boring, what with learning about the intricacies of how the Video Home System works, compared to the Beta-max system. It was so mind-numbingly boring, Jay was sure that his mind had got up to explore the boardwalk and left the husk of his consciousness behind to watch used and abused porno videos, the ones that had been left with all manner of semi dried viscous fluid on or the cringe worthy B movies that no-one really cared for. They just rented them for the humour of it.

Having to learn about how a VHS tape was put together was even worse. He had wondered how crumbs got to be inside some borrowed videos and how some had other unknown sticky residues all over the cases. In a way, he was thankful that he wore protective gloves. Especially when he saw what some of the videos contained. He had to check that it worked afterwards, it was part of the process.

He watched through partially obscured eyes. It wasn't a horror movie, but it was a R18 rated movie, with no actual plot, just sex and lots of it. The typical alpha male and clueless female who were getting it on. Again he removed the disposable gloves and discarded them with a look of pure disgust, before placing new ones on and cleaning the VHS case. The whole thing to start anew with the box of damaged vids he'd been tasked with.

Jay didn't even know that Max had these sorts of video in his store. Well, evidently he did now...behind the counter and with a black covering on each sleeve.

* * *

"You can go. Try not to be too late."

He had smiled at Max and had shot out of the store as quickly as he could.

Jay already knew what shift's Nya was working this week because they had initially planned to meet up during their breaks. But, seeing as he'd been missing for two days, he had a horrid suspicion that Nya might not have been in the right mind to work. Heck, he didn't even know if she'd just jacked it in and spent those two nights searching for him. But,this was a chance he was willing to take and so, on he travelled at midnight in a hurry to get to her before her shift was due to finish.

It was only 2 blocks away.

When he got there, he remembered from a few nights ago that the restaurant was more like a run down establishment. It verged on 'cafe diner' than the _fine_ dining, the owner seemed to think it was. The place even had the 'silver trailer' look about it and boasted about the cuisine on offer. It was clear to see, this place was just like any other coastal eatery. Cheap looking with chintzy upholstery and a brash appearance. The name just screamed Italian though, _Carlucci's_ .

And there it stood. Gleaming white, blue and silver.

He took a deep breath in and crossed the street. It was bustling with tourist's too, Jay was technically one too but these ones were walking at such a snails pace he had to jog past a few to get to where he needed to go. Or risk being swept into the mad swathe of photo taking tourists that were convening at the crossing.

Then he saw her, she was being consoled, just as she was carrying a half empty tray back into the kitchen. A gentle arm draped around her shoulder.

How was he supposed to do this? He knew the impact it would have had on her. Giving Cole the responsibility of plastering the 'missing poster', it can't have been easy on him. On anyone.

Taking in a deep breath, whilst watching the time. He entered the restaurant with his heart in his mouth, expecting her world of torment to come to a screeching halt

The faint but delicate jingle of a bell promptly alerted the staff that a new customer had entered and the majority of servers had turned to face the newcomer.

Then, suddenly as his slight frame had entered the diner, his eyes locked onto hers and she dropped the tray. Everything on it had tumbled to the ground smashing messily onto the black and white tiles.

She didn't say anything, she just vaulted into his arms, straight at him. Her arms opening as she ran into his surprised but open armed stance. "JAY!" She said as she snuggled into his neck. She grasped him so tightly he swore that he had stopped breathing. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick."

Jay looked up at the staff who were tidying the abandoned mess, "C-can I take her outside, for a few minutes?" He was going to do it anyway, it wasn't like this was a permanent job. His arms were still wrapped around her and he could feel her trembling.

He walked with her, out of the diner and onto the street out front. Finding a bench, they walked in silence until Jay sat down and motioned Nya to join him.

He broke the silence first. "I can't say sorry, because it wasn't my fault."

"You were there when Lloyd told me to go back? Well, I did and what I saw when got there will haunt me forever."

She still wasn't talking, just sobbing gently and wiping the tears.

"Did Cole make it back alright? Did he get back in one piece?"

She nodded slowly. "He did,"her face turned to his, "we thought you were dead."

"We looked for you, even went to the police station yesterday to file a report. They said to display a poster and they'd do the rest but, because you were legally an adult, it couldn't be classed as suspicious because so many from Santa Carla come and go."

He thought back to what Lloyd had uttered about the Frog brothers. The youths from the carousel had been rumoured missing too, feared dead but there was no evidence to suggest foul play or homicide and so the authorities had done nothing. Not that _they_ would have known.

Donald didn't even own a television, nor a radio. He guessed Lloyd might have heard something on the tv at the comic book store but it could all be speculation and unfounded truth at the same time. The biting fact was that there was no evidence to suggest otherwise, this couple had vanished, just like he had.

Jay wasn't overly concerned about himself. He was evidently still upright and not six feet under. That had to account for something, and, he was well enough to work...at least in _Max's eyes. Plus,_ he was full of energy, thanks to the electrolyte drink.

Jay was the exception. Of all the missing people, he wasn't actually missing at all.

He retrieved the folded sheet of blue A4 from his pocket and slowly unfolded it. All the while, he could tell that Nya was watching him from the corner of her eyes. When he stared at it again, his heart literally thumped out of his chest. The sheet of blue felt like he was handling his last will and testament with the way he was holding it.

"Did Cole post this then?" He asked gently as the now _dog eared_ piece of paper waved gently in the slow nights breeze. "Never thought I'd see my name on there..."

She took one look at it and looked away just as quickly. As if the whole two now three days had been nothing but an ongoing nightmare. "He felt partially to blame. It was the least he could do."

He took that as a yes, "Pfft, partially to blame?" He shook his head. He remembered the whole night, painfully. Even when he hit that low lying branch that hit the top of his helmet and sent him into the nearest redwood trunk. "Cole was hanging out with those idiots just so he could get into her knickers. He was doing god knows what dangerous stuff, likely as an initiation of sorts. And, actually, he was wholly to blame." He took a deep breath in and sighed, "I shouldn't have left him though, Lloyd was right in that sense."

It just sounded so unlike Cole, and she wasn't buying it. Nya had suddenly turned to face him and her expression was showing annoyance and visibly restrained anger, "Where were you Jay? You've been missing for two days, **_No, actually three_** _**days**_?" She said, looking at her watch.

He had fully expected her to screech at him, there was no denying that small fact. It was attested even more so by the downpour of previously unshed tears. He still held her tight and released her when she was ready. The lack of her body warmth left him feeling alone again.

"Where were you?" She repeated, gently this time. Still she kept her distance.

There was no point in beating around the bush, he had nothing to hide from her. A deep sigh ensued but it wasn't like he cared if he was going to be late back, this might end up being a long story after all. "Well, when I watched Cole let go of the bar...I, uhm pleaded with him to hold onto my hands." He looked at his own hands, he still couldn't believe it. "They were right there, right in front of his face. M-my hands, but he looked at me and smiled." Jay shuddered violently and rubbed at his head nervously.

Nya's shocked expression told him that Cole hadn't mentioned that, "WHAT, He let go on purpose?" she asked, incredulously. It was as if she would never have believed that Cole could do such a thing.

Jay nodded, "I-I followed his decent down a ravine, expecting to...to find his body. Wh-when I got to the bottom, Cole was relatively unscathed." He laughed but it was pure nerves and sheer uncertainty of what had happened, what he had witnessed, it was almost akin to a witnessed suicide and it had shaken him to the core. "I know that when I checked him over, Cole h-had no injuries, n-no blood loss, broken bones. Strange really, when you think how far he fell...d-didn't he tell you?" He quizzed but avoided her direct question.

 _'He just let go, like he didn't care anymore.'_

"No, of course he didn't tell us. It's a ridiculous thing to state, he'd be dead surely!"

"Figures! Is it ridiculous? IS IT?" He hissed slightly.

"Nya, he was a different person when I finally got to him. I can't explain it, I just can't explain what I saw or how he was, or the fact that he was completely fine, bodily wise. Mentally, I think he took a blow to the head."

" _ **He let go**_?" She repeated, ad-nauseam. ' _Maybe you took a blow to the head Jay.'_

He nodded again and again, the same stupid question was repeated nauseatingly. Even the question made him relive the experience, "Yes, he let go. And like I've said, repeatedly...he was apparently fine, physically at least." He stared down at his hands and fought back the tears, "My hands were _right_ _there_ and he let go, he just-" he paused, "he just let go, of everything." He said quietly.

"Does he remember _anything_?" Jay enquired, hoping to move on from that part. "About the bridge or seeing me, leaving me there?"

"Yes and no, vague memories but he can't remember seeing you after you left the cave." She edged a little closer and brushed her shaking hand over his forearm to check that it was him. It could have been another cruel nightmare that made her share her innermost secrets to him to have him cruelly taken from her as her eyes opened to another sunrise without him. She gently rubbed his forearm, "he can't even remember using your bike to get back home on."

His jaw clenched at the thought. Cole's bike was the perfect bike to navigate the rough undergrowth of where they had travelled on that night and Cole didn't know the first thing about how to ride Jay's bike, at least properly. In fact, he didn't even want to know what state his bike would be in, he just knew it wouldn't be good, considering how unstable Cole's mind was.

How strange Cole had acted when Jay had found him at the bottom of that water less fissure. How remarkable that whole thing had been. From Morro's carrion death breath to Cole acting so unlike himself. The evening that had left Jay to sleep for few cold hours on a perilous cliff edge.

"Where have you been? You know you've been gone for three days?" She repeated quietly.

He couldn't help but notice how far she was sitting from him as he spoke. He leaned forwards, elbows on thighs and placed his head in his hands. "Well, uhm it was complicated-" He shifted uncomfortably, "-M-Max found me, said it was his son, but his son found me when I fell off the bike."

Her face scrunched up in confusion, "Max?"

He didn't need to know that she was about to question him, "He's my boss, of sorts..." Jay smirked looking down at the concrete sidewalk. "He found me and took me to what I thought was his place. He took me to Ms Johnson's...Whoever she is." He rolled his eyes, as if he was supposed to be grateful. He was of course, but being taken back home would have sufficed rather than being taken to a complete stranger's home and locked in the room like Paul Sheldon had been in that Stephen King book he read.

Still he wondered why Max had left him locked in there. Was there a reason why he held the key and not the female owner?

Nya smiled a little and edged closer still, until their thighs were touching, "Donald see's her quite frequently. I swear he called her the 'black widow', on account of the fact she's had quite few husbands."

Jay hadn't moved, "Well I didn't see her face, I just woke up there, like a few hours ago actually. _Heard lots of girls there though, maybe it was a harem...or brothel_..." he mumbled the latter to himself.

She finally leaned against him. Again checking the waters were clear before she finally allowed herself to breathe him in. He wasn't fresh smelling as he normally prided himself to be. He smelt more like Cole's element, and there was a salty and metallic tang to his skin. But he was most definitely real and he was still very much alive. "We missed you Jay, I really missed you. W-we thought you were..."

He cut her off, he didn't want to hear the 'D' word, "Like I said, I can't apologise for something that was quite literally out of my hands." He turned to face her and was blown away when she threw her arms around him and hugged him like there was no tomorrow. Like there were no tourists looking on.

"It felt real, it felt hopeless when the police wouldn't help. Lloyd even made a long distance call to Misako." She mumbled into his chest.

"Please tell me she's not travelling down here?" Jay questioned, some seriousness to his voice. He turned to face her and felt her lips upon his. A certain insistence to the kiss she gave.

"She is!" Nya mumbled, breaking the kiss, "She'll be here in a few days."

It was a very wet kiss, imbued with salty tears courtesy of Nya. "I thought you were dead," She mumbled again.

"Thanks," He said, pulling away slightly, "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. I don't know what you expect me to do with that." He hadn't wanted to alarm her or anything, because he realised, what with the missing poster and Cole's odd behaviour that she might be incredibly emotional. He'd even rolled his shirt sleeves down to hide the dressings, the ones that hid various unexplained puncture marks. The ones that looked like he'd been freebasing for the past 48 plus hours.

Jay held one of her hands with his own, _"This_ , whatever it was, just happened. It's mostly un-explainable, for my part."

His right hand settled on the side of her face as he brushed the tear from her cheek with his thumb, "I was only privy to it when I woke up, wasn't like it was done on purpose. _Well, I hope it wasn't_ " He added silently to himself as a last thought.

The piece of paper was still on his lap, fluttering in the breeze. He knew she was going to ask more about him and his whereabouts but he really had nothing more to give, in the way of relevant information. "He tried to phone the number on the poster, but there was no answer, well, it's what he told me anyway." He looked at some of the business men who had come out of the upscale restaurants further down the stretch of the avenue. It turned from cheap tourist eateries to full on fine dining and the sublimely ostentatious in between.

Most of the men that exited those establishments were carrying what looked like small black bricks. They were actually mobile phones with a small aerial which had to be extended to hear the analogue conversations. "He didn't take me to the hospital because I wasn't that ill, whatever that means."

"You weren't hurt were you?" She asked.

He shook his head, lying. "No, I wasn't hurt, not really." He had the slightest headache that remained after his helmet cracked. His hair hid the majority of the unsightly bruise. But it didn't hurt anymore...the only thing that hurt was how easy Cole had just given up. It had been like watching a witnessed suicide and being completely unable to do anything about it.

Jay was mentally, forever scarred by what Cole had done that night. Not so much when Cole left him on the cliff edge but the actual watching of Cole's face as it disappeared from view when he fell. The whole feeling of being invisible in front of his best friend had never been so strong that night.

"You shouldn't have gone!" She criticised him, regretting the words as soon as they had left her lips. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean it to come out like that..."

He recoiled slightly, "Nya, I-I had to though. I kinda felt stupid after Lloyd spoke to me-"

Nya shushed him, "I think he regretted it. Was even willing to go after the both of you."

"He was sorta right though, so it was just easier to do it." He was still downcast and there was no smile on his face. He ignored her previous outburst, saying nothing more on it, "Nya, I finish in three hours." He looked around himself nervously.

A distinct feeling that he was being watched, "See if you can get one of the guys to pick me up, cos I don't have any way of getting back to Donald's. I've already checked the timetables, the busses stop running about now..." He watched one pulling off from the stop across the road. "In fact, that was the last one."

Another deep sigh released. "I really don't wanna go back with Max tonight...He's offered me a place to stay, thought I was homeless."

"I finish in an hour anyway." She replied and watched as he stood. Her arms wrapping back around him. "You're going to have a lot of explaining to do."

Jay closed the gap as they both stood on the busy sidewalk, "Well, you know as much as I do. But-" again he looked around himself, "-Go easy on Cole, he was completely out of it."

His hand casually ran through his chestnut brown locks and Nya had caught a glimpse of the _potential_ head injury that Cole had mentioned. It wasn't a potential injury now, it was a clear as day head wound. Perhaps it helped to explain the far-out statement that Jay had outwardly admitted a few moments ago.

The outlandish comment where Jay was adamant that Cole had fallen 200 feet without so much as a scratch or a broken bone. The one spoken half truth that was as unbelievable as Jay stating that he had just woken up. It was obvious now, she thought he had been heavily concussed, there was no other reason for it.

And she had been reluctant to leave him again, to let him go back to work but he kissed her like he meant it. He held her as tight as he could against his body without hurting her as he said his goodbyes the only way he knew how. Finally breaking the demanding kiss, Jay wiped the smudged lipstick from her mouth, "Remember, I finish at 3am," he winked at her.

"One of us will be there, I promise-" she kissed his neck and took in a deep breath. "Jay, please! Please be careful."

He half laughed again, and the same cheeky grin came back, "It's Max, and uh he's harmless-" Jay joked, yet only half believing it. To be fair, he hardly knew the man because Max was so secretive about his free time away from the video store. "I'll be fine, see ya later Nya. And, I'm sorry that I made you all worry, it was out of my hands, really it was!"

"You don't have to go, do you?" She was already missing his closeness.

He nodded and smiled back at her. His distance growing by the second as he began to walk off slowly backwards. All the time keeping those sinfully delicious sapphire eyes on her. "I'm sorry Nya, I've gotta get back to work. Remember, 3 am!"


	21. Thursday afternoon

_**Thursday afternoon**_

 _ **Location: Donald's home**_

A smaller, less conspicuous pile of multicoloured flyers were sitting atop of the coffee table. Some had been decoratively made into works of origami, others into screwed up piles. The rest and majority of them had been glued and pasted to all the relevant areas in downtown Santa Carla. The places where advertising was allowed. They, as a group, had even placed one in the library because Zane's thinking was that maybe Jay or the accomplice to his disappearance would wander in there. " _Well he might_!" was the response at the time.

It wasn't like they only had a few sheets to go around either. They'd all been given a pile of 100 each, counted out by Zane. Some flyers had been pasted to every other redwood tree near the road where they found Cole's bike. The same road that led to the train tracks.

The remaining four ninja and kunoichi had been out the whole day yesterday, because the sheriff the day before did absolutely nothing. So they'd been handing them out, with little to no interest given. The process had been arduous and time consuming, but redecorating Santa Carla with a swathe of pastel hues to signify that their brother was missing was necessary, according to the majority of remaining ninja. Cole, however, he was being brutally cynical about the whole thing.

"Honestly Lloyd, that Sheriff was useless, completely incompetent." Kai groaned and proceeded to make the fifth paper aeroplane in a row.

The pile slowly dwindling down to a more manageable pile. It was Zane's idea to use a whole ream of multicoloured pastel, it was, after all, exactly what other people used to get their pictures noticed.

Cole, intermittently, had taken to holding his stomach in pain. It seemed that ripping the paper in short strips was the only thing he could do to keep his mind off of Star and the hunger pangs he constantly felt.

Folding down the last creases firmly, "It's like they don't actually care," he sighed, throwing the folded projectile where it landed pathetically on the open hearth. No sooner had it landed did the flames begin to lick gently at the edges. The flame and heat slowly unfurled and revealed the rapidly charring photo of Jay, "Tell me, what good is a police force or sheriffs department if they do sweet F.A?"

"They don't care, they don't give a flying fu-"

"Cole!" Lloyd quickly interrupted, he knew what Cole was going to say anyway. The black haired ninja hadn't said anything pleasant all day _other_ than swear words.

His attitude was beginning to grate, not just on Lloyd but Kai too. Honestly, Lloyd felt like Cole had been partaking in illegal substances when he decided to go into this supposed hidden cave he'd heard about. And, there was no doubt in Lloyd's mind; Cole had definitely changed over the space of 48 hours. The master of earth had taken to wearing sunshades in the house, during the majority of daylight hours. He didn't get out of bed until two or three pm, and, to top it all off, he was rude and abrasive.

He couldn't place it, but he and Kai shared the same concerns. Cole was hiding something.

"I don't know, Kai-" Lloyd played with the nachos on the sharing platter that Zane had made, "-I just-don't know." He pushed it away, throwing himself back on the sofa. Looking sideways at Cole, observing him as he tried to hide his obvious discomfort.

"They obviously don't care. In fact, I don't think the majority of Santa Carla citizens care either. Well, I mean other than the families affected."

"Yeah, I figured as much. Mind you Kai, they've had so many go missing, I'll bet their archives are full of cold cases. Wonder how long it is before they throw the police files and reports in the trash?"

"They would incinerate them or shred them-" Zane gently corrected from the kitchen, "-Records would contain sensitive and personal information pertaining to a person's identity."

"Thanks Zane," Kai replied monotonously, rolling his eyes whilst turning back to look at Lloyd, "Sheriff McGraw made _our_ police squad look like the frickin FBI."

It was all just small talk. No one had the heart to talk about anything in depth. Not since the resident motormouth had been missing.

"He has quite the hobby, do you agree?" Zane suddenly asked from the kitchen, "Donald, I mean," Zane was stirring the large pot and following the instructions to the dot, he cocked his head at his sombre brothers. "Do you ever wonder where the house owner gets all of these creatures from?"

"No Zane, I was thinking like they were his shooting trophy kills or maybe donations?"

"He has rather a lot, some large animals too. And, when perusing through his supply of chemicals, I found no substitute for the efficient draining of the blood or lymphatic system prior to taxidermy!"

Kai shuddered and scrunched his face into a look of disgust, "That's gross, and really quite boring. Wait, did you say you were going through his room, the one that clearly says _keep out_?"

Zane nodded without a hint of shame, "I did, and very educational it was too."

Kai looked at Cole with a small grin on his face, "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were planning something heinous. Not going to pull a precinct 13 on Santa Carla's finest, are ya?"

Cole shook his head. There'd be no way that he'd let Kai into his own dark thoughts. Bored of the stale conversation, he took one bite of the nacho and almost flat out vomited on the floor. In fact, all day he'd been battling with nausea, every single time he had wanted to eat. He was hit with a bout of sickness, only resulting in dry heaves.

"I'm gonna go run a bath-" Lloyd stated loudly as he hauled himself from the well used leather couch.

"I swear to god, Lloyd-" Kai turned to watch the Alaskan malamute, "-that dog follows you around everywhere ya go. He's like an extra limb!" Kai hollered as he watched the dog trail Lloyd's feet up the stairs.

* * *

It was clear to see that everyone had been affected by Jay's sudden disappearance. Even Lloyd travelling up the stairs. He had done so with such little motivation, each step had looked like a chore. There had been no wonder that Zane had suggested he phone Misako. He didn't really care about keeping clean, none of them did, except for Zane. They were all slowly falling apart.

Cole grumbled from his position on the sofa, "I'm going to see if the food's ready." He had tried to get up but a griping stomach pain kept him grounded again.

Kai was watching him like a hawk, watching as Cole fought something inside. Trying to figure him out and why he was being so secretive, "You starting to remember anything more?" He asked quietly, intermittently watching Lloyd before casting his gaze back at Cole. His eyes suddenly caught something shiny. Partially obscured by Cole's shaggy black hair. "Dude," Kai moved to sit closer to Cole, "since when did you get a piercing, huh?"

Now choosing to stand because of Kai's proximity and inquisitive glare, Cole's hand had quickly gone up to his ear lobe. He'd forgotten about that. It must have happened when he got back to the cave the second time.

The master of earth smiled, how could he forget that Star had done it? She had offered to anyway, it was what had got them talking in the first place. The ice breaker on the Boardwalk. He didn't answer Kai's snarky comment, he followed his nose and walked through to the kitchen, where he casually leaned on the open door watching Zane as he cooked.

Kai had followed the master of earth on purpose. He stood there observing him whilst he twiddled with his new earring. Shaking his head slightly, "you gotta lose the earring Cole, it's not you, it's definitely not you!" he said quietly.

Cole had finally taken his sunglasses off. Although, the act of taking them off was accompanied by a thoroughly pissed off sigh.

The thing is, the sun had well and truly gone down, it was black outside and the sounds of crickets and cicada could be heard clearly when Zane wasn't stirring the large pot of ground beef. It was like he had waited for the darkness, like the sun freaked him out.

Cole's brightly coloured hazel eyes seemed to be burning vividly as he turned to stare at Kai. He almost got into Kai's face which made the master of fire adjust his stance somewhat to avoid toppling over.

" ** _Piss off, Kai!_** " he mouthed, his face completely devoid of emotion.

"It is true Cole, a piercing can be ripped out in our field of expertise. Even a nipple or navel piercing would not be suitable."

He rolled his eyes, pulling the middle finger, "Both of you can **_piss off_** , I don't care what you think."

"Ya know," Kai leaned back against the double door frame, noting he'd got Cole's back up, "-all you've been doing lately is giving attitude."

Cole had turned to face Kai, he wasn't in any mood to talk about his supposed problems, least of all to Mr hot-head, "Proverbial idiom there Kai, I mean, you gave plenty of attitude yesterday and the day before."

"Yeah, well that was because you weren't talking. You were the last one to see him alive, remember? Oh, that's right, you've chosen not to, because Star's more important, right?"

"I mean it Kai-" Cole visibly snarled with the addition of a mocking contentious laugh, "- _ **piss off**_ or you'll regret it." He warned.

Kai, finally bored of winding Cole up, started to approach Zane, "Ya need some help in here?" He asked, wanting to avoid an all out brawl. Sometimes scrapping was inevitable.

It'd been difficult to adjust, initially. Five different personalities all bunched together under one roof. Having to learn to share and adapt. Typically, tempers frayed and they clashed and fought. Eventually, they had learned to adjust. Becoming best friends in the process, but now, one man down, tempers were fraying again. And it was so easy to fall back into that tough time again, none more so because Nya was oddly quiet and Cole was just acting odd.

Zane, as usual nodded. He was never one to shun the kind gesture of help, "If you can wash the dishes I have used already, it would be a great help."

Kai shrugged, "Sure thing."

"Guys?" Lloyd yelled from the top of the stairs as he walked to the closet. The blonde haired master of energy grabbed his towelling robe and two fluffy towels to hide his exposed manhood. Even disrobed, the dude was lithe. Lloyd had just the right amount of muscle definition. There was the odd scar here and there, depicting how many battles he had fought. He stood there, naked as the day he was born with the towels and bathrobe. Leaning over the carved wood branch balustrade, he ruffled his hair, "-don't disturb me, _unless_ it's news about Jay."

"Okay, green machine, we won't." Kai rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time this night. "Next time, Lloyd put some fricking clothes on before you stand up there like that. I can see everything. Kinda putting me off my dinner!"

"Actually, you want us to save you some right? Or is it gonna be a quick bath?" Kai quizzed.

"He's a slow poke, nothing he does is quick." Cole added, sarcastically, "Just hurry the hell up, got things to do."

It was obvious to Kai that his black haired brother was still thinking about the girl again. The girl he had heard very little about because Cole hadn't even divulged the basics about her. Just about how her wavy hair flowed down her back and her the way her curvy ass shakes and swayed as she walked. He painted quite the boring baseless picture of her.

* * *

Zane had begun plating up the food. Placing the rice in side dishes, chilli in another and three smaller pots either side which held guacamole, spicy tomato salsa and lime soured crème fraîche.

But the sound of motorbike engines soon got their attention. All three young men looked out of the kitchen window as the noise incrementally increased to a much louder and confusing din. Cole was the first to speak, "What the hell?" He mumbled, pushing himself with ease from his laid back position on the door frame.

He narrowed his gaze and stared out the window, trying to get at least a decent look on these punks. All he could hear was the bike engines running and the sounds of amplified maniacal laughter that he knew Paul and Dwayne capable of.

The breeze had picked up considerably and the pans that hung from the kitchen ceiling began swaying. Not only that but the majority of windowsill contents fell from their place and smashed into the sink or onto the floor. Kai had been quick to secure the sashes on all of them but when he turned Cole had pushed through into the main sitting room.

How could the master of earth explain that he could hear them calling his name? This new band of brothers were calling to him, and him alone.

 _"Cole?, Are you coming Cole?"_

 _"You're one of us now!"_

The chanting got louder and faster. Testing and teasing. "COLE, come on Cole, join us..."

Cole, he could hear David's voice, could hear all of them, even _Morro_ , which was a little disconcerting, _considering the master of wind was dead_. Somehow he blocked out Kai's desperate pleas to be heard.

He had bypassed the sofas and the various book shelves with ease. The windows were open in there too and everything was blowing as if a mini tornado had taken hold on the porch. Cole swiftly approached the front double doors. Opening the wooden horizontal blinds, he stared out in a daze and placed his hand on the one handle.

He could quite clearly see motorcycle lights. He could hear the very definite voices of David and Paul, they were calling for him, for Cole. Chanting his name relentlessly.

Kai didn't want to fight anyone right at this minute, let alone bike thugs who were known for their dirty fighting tactics, " _ **No, Cole, don't!-**_ " the master of fire shouted from the kitchen double doors, he wasn't quite close enough to prevent Cole from opening the doors. "They're not worth it. Just ignore them."

 _'Oh if only you knew Kai, if only you knew.'_

As soon as Cole opened the door the sounds and voices had gone. Literally died down to nothing. All that could be heard was the gentle relaxing sounds of the various wood and metal wind chimes that still swayed to a mild breeze.

He just stared, down the path, towards the far end of the front fenced off gardens. The gate was closed up top and Donald's flowers were all still intact. Nothing had been knocked over, it was as if nothing had happened. That all three Ninja had just imagined it. Had just imagined being terrorised by a group of bikers that very obviously weren't there.

Even Lloyd had run down the stairs with all the commotion, "What's going on Cole?"

There was no other explanation for it. He shut the door but his his eyes were still staring outside through the blinds, "Go take your bath." He said quietly, in a gravelly tone.

So Lloyd did, he looked back at Kai and Zane, the same looks were plastered all over their faces too. The master of energy shrugged at them behind Cole's back, as he travelled back up the stairs. Mouthing a silent "what the fu**" at the same time.

Kai and Zane had looked at each other in confusion too. No words were spoken about what had just happened, "Uh Cole?" Kai asked nervously.

"We're gonna eat this around the back, you can join us if you want to." Kai offered. Nudging Zane in the process to get his usually calm speaking brother to intervene.

"You are more than welcome to join us Cole, there is more than enough? Perhaps it will give us a chance to talk, about this or maybe what just happened?"

"Don't bother!" Cole replied, "I'm not interested."

No more words were spoken, in front of Cole. Both Kai and Zane went back into the kitchen to sort out the mess. Choosing instead to eat outside, rather than in Cole's company.

* * *

 **Yeah, some of you might know what's gonna happen next...**

 **Thanks for all the reviews,**

 **Bunny,** **Master of Cupcakes,** **Ebony,** **and, the r** **ight honourable Lady Mayor of Ninjago city, M** **ayor Brady**


	22. Lets take this moment to relax

**Coming at ya with another chapter of the Lost Boys. Written with happiness in my heart because today I finally passed my Bachelor of Science nursing degree and got signed off as a competent and accountable nurse. I can now safely say that I am qualified to be a registered nurse y'all. (4 years of hard work, assignments, exams, presentations, dissertation and 2300, placement and 2300 practice hours)**

* * *

 _ **Thursday night - late**_

 _ **Location: Donald's home**_

For most, the bath itself was a place of quiet contemplation. A private sanctuary where you could be a pop star or pretend of other such fantasy scenarios. Lloyd however took this time to relax and unwind. It was the perfect opportunity to think or to see if there were any other avenues, him and his team had missed during their initial and subsequent searches pertaining to Jay.

There was another reason for his bath too.

His mother, Misako was due to arrive in a few days and she'd likely be wanting to know everything that had happened since they'd arrived, up to and including the disappearance of the lightning master. The woman, he hadn't grown up with had mollycoddled him from the moment she came back into his life, and, although in front of his brothers he begrudgingly obliged her maternal embrace. In private, he craved them. She was all he had now.

So, without further ado, Lloyd grabbed the batteries and the boom box from Cole's shared room and brought it into the bathroom. Closing the door securely behind him, sliding the latch with a click he proceeded to place the batteries and switched the device on, placing it carefully on a sturdy shelf.

The towel was still wrapped around his waist as he bent down, "You're missing him aren't ya?" He said quietly, petting the dog and scratching the grey and white pet under his maw, all the whilst looking for his name badge.

"I'm missing someone too-" he said, finding a small name medal, "Nanook huh, that's your name?" The dog whined gently.

"Still-" he mumbled, as he hung his towels on the wooden rack, "-you and I can keep each other company, least until Donald gets back."

His face suddenly looked sober and grave, feeling like he'd already put the nail in Jay's proverbial coffin by uttering that aloud. Slowly and very carefully he dipped a toe into the bath. Typically, he didn't have baths often because of the sheer amount of water they wasted. Instead, they all had a wet room shower at the monastery, it was so much more efficient.

Turning back to the stereo, he put it on and selected a radio station. As he'd expected, Donald didn't have any decent 80's music, it was all 50's and 60's hippy and flower power stuff on cassette. But the radio station he tuned into was preferable to listening to nothing but the sound of Nanook panting or of his own verbalised thoughts.

"Mmm, warm and toasty." He moaned his appreciation at the feeling and slowly submerged himself into the bath.

He didn't really care in the slightest that he'd used far too much bubble bath. In fact, he'd used so much that the bubbles completely obscured the water. The effect of that was the appearance of a literal tidal wave of foam when he was fully submerged. Most of the deluge of foam was contained in the bath, some of it spilled onto the dog but he shook it off, the only way a dog knew how.

* * *

 _ **Downstairs,**_

Cole had ventured into the silent kitchen, hearing nothing but his own slow and steady pulse. The beating of his heart felt like it was attempting to burst from his chest but they weren't palpitations that he felt.

The smell of chilli con carne was making him dry heave but he was so hungry. He had tried to eat, really he had. Nachos, salad, protein rich muscle building foods and even whey proteins but the moment it touched his lips, he violently retched. It was awful, Cole fell terrible. The whole 48 hours had taken a toll on him. He'd not eaten, there was no sign of Jay, and tensions were steadily mounting day by day at the lack of news and help from the local law enforcement.

They hadn't helped at all...Cole had the feeling and the sudden thought that he wanted to throttle the sheriff. He needed to feel his hands around the smug officers neck, to taste his blood, to drink it...Wait, what?

There was no one in the kitchen. It had been abandoned, in a sense.

The only signs that someone had just been in here was the visible pots that were scattered around, ones that hadn't been washed or put away. And, there was the god awful stench of garlic and chilli in the air. One of those smells was physically hurting him, at least hurting his nose and eyes as he would imagine onion would; had he been chopping it in a sealed room.

The food that Zane had prepared looked amazing. His presentation skills far surpassed that of his own and normally he would have munched the lots down and probably would have gone back for seconds. But, for some strange reason, something he couldn't quite explain, Cole didn't feel like he could stomach Zane's cooking, nor Kai's, nor Lloyd's...ever!

It was tragic and such a waste.

Now, when he was younger. Lou, his father had mentioned the benefits of calcium and milk to a growing child. He was always on about the properties of it, because his wife; Cole's biological mother had bought baby books describing and detailing the foods to give and avoid. Lou almost read it like a bible when she passed.

 _"Now Cole, Calcium builds healthy bones and teeth. You have to drink your milk if you want to be big and healthy."_

 _"Chocit milk?"_

 _"Any milk and especially chocolate milk, Cole." He said with a smile, picking the black haired smile from the floor as he held his sippy cup tight._

* * *

"Milk," He grumbled and made his way to the fridge. It was guaranteed to settle his stomach, It had worked before so why wouldn't it now?

He opened it and saw the 'OLD FART' shelf that Donald had previously forbade anyone to touch. He hadn't revealed the consequences if anyone did touch his stuff but no one had dared to anyway. The old guy only kept root beers and Twinkies there, there was nothing remotely interesting, no squirty cream or cheese.

Grabbing a carton of Carnation milk he turned to look back at the semi darkened room. Oddly enough, even in the dark there were certain aspects he could still make out. The Formica table and linoleum floor, the old school fridge and the aged country style appearance of the kitchen.

No sooner had he taken the carton from the fridge, Cole was gripped with excruciating pains. The ones from earlier were tame compared to these. And, within a matter of seconds the pain had sent him spiralling to the floor. Grasping his stomach in agony.

A few minutes later and he had righted himself. The open milk carton spilling slowly across the floor, making a decent sized puddle that Zane would think a health and safety hazard, just being left there.

A few seconds after that and he was at the foot of the stairs.

His clouded eyes were dark and dangerous, just like the storms but he kept his gaze downwards. Cole was climbing slowly but purposefully up the stairs. There was only one thing on his mind. And somehow, that _thing_ just happened to be the closest to him. It was currently splashing around in the bath, listening to music, singing to it...somewhat out of tune.

The heart beat and sounds of rushing blood was making Cole's mouth water in anticipation.

* * *

Then, suddenly he was at the door. Pushing all of his weight on the frame, hearing as the wooden frame began to splinter under his strength. Of course, it didn't take long for the door frame and lock to shatter before he was standing there, staring hungrily at Lloyd. Completely ignoring the fact that the dog was viciously snarling at him, fangs bared and growling.

He just didn't see it, he only saw one thing and that one thing he wanted to suck dry was laying in the bath oblivious.

The master of energy still hadn't clapped his eyes on Cole because the music was too loud and the song choice at that moment was very swinging 60's. Lloyd's eyes were still closed. Obviously, he was still in the moment of what he believed was semi private contemplation and perhaps a hint of secret karaoke practice.

Lloyd had quickly submerged himself in the water, in a vain attempt to rid his hair of the shampoo he had used. The bath foam was still completely obscuring him, that hadn't even gone down. The bubbles just kept increasing exponentially.

Cole stood there. The look on his face was terrifying and if Lloyd had seen it, he would have felt more than intimidated by it, he would have feared for his life. He was standing there snarling. Looking at the blonde master of energy like he wanted to rip a chunk from his neck, if only to get to that artery, to drink and to get his fill. It was all he wanted at that moment and the hunger drove him on.

A sudden and very desperate thirst had come over him, a thirst that only a deep bite would satiate. And, just before Cole could lunge at his unsuspecting brother, the Alaskan Malamute had snapped in defence of Lloyd.

He hadn't seen the dog until it was in his peripheral. His hands shot upwards to protect his face and he stumbled backwards with the momentum of having a strong canine leap up at him, it was with such a force that it knocked Cole backwards. The force of the dog attack had sent both tumbling out of the door and down the wooden steps.

Cole must have hit every single step on the way down because the racket had alerted everyone that something bad had just happened.

It was dark, when Lloyd exited the bathroom in a hurry. One towel was wrapped around his head, another around his waist and a sumptuous robe around his torso.

Kai and Zane had rushed in from the kitchen entrance.

And all of them were looking into the darkened shadow where they could hear the heavy pained gasps of who they assumed to be their brother.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Thursday night**_

 _ **Location: bathroom**_

All he'd heard was a deep rumbling sound, accompanied by pained grunts. To Lloyd, these were synonymous with the typical sounds of someone falling down the stairs in a tangle of limbs. Then, when the bubbles had been quickly washed from his eyes, Lloyd noticed the bathroom door was wide open. He frowned when he saw a somewhat broken door frame. He could even smell the timber that had cracked under the strain of whatever had forced it open.

It was a quick manoeuvre. Took him less than a second to wipe the bubbles and stand. Grabbing the towels and wrapping himself up, he noticed that Nanook was nowhere to be seen, "Kai, that you? Zane? Cole?" He spoke in a quiet subdued tone as he walked out of the bathroom, "Nanook?" Lloyd called, whilst he was securing his garish abstract art bathrobe with the waist tie.

There was no direct answer just the sounds of someone or _something_ shuffling around painfully in the impossibly dark living room below.

He was still there, whomever had just tumbled down the stairs was still in the same place he'd landed.

And, remarkably, in Donald's otherwise cluttered homestead, nothing had been knocked over in the ensuing tumble. The pictures and native American horse mats were still attached to the wall. The pigskin floor lamp was standing, the mirror, unbroken and upright. Nothing was out of place. Just a few drops of blood here and there, and the slightest hint of a wet hand print at the foot of the stairs.

Huddled in the shadows, completely and utterly ashamed at what he had just done or what he had been about to do. It was only thanks to his pained breath sounds that his brothers knew where he was at that exact moment.

"COLE?, Cole you there?" Lloyd called into the semi darkness below, " _Nanook_?"

Kai and Zane had rushed in from the kitchen. The first thing they noticed was that the hallway and living room was swathed in a rich velvety darkness. An inky black covered everything on the ground floor until Kai thought to switch on the light. " _Lloyd_ , you alright? _Cole?_ " He asked again, now looking towards the back of the mirror.

It could only be Cole because Lloyd had answered subconsciously when he'd come out of the bathroom and it hadn't taken him long to run down the stairs. In fact, he was already halfway down the stairs when Kai and Zane had busted through the double doors.

Cole was panting, likely in pain although not visibly. The master of earth was still hidden in the only available shadows, in his own world of pain behind the mirror. "The dog!" He mumbled, squeezing his wrist to lessen the blood loss from his bitten palm.

Lloyd's frown increased, "What about the dog, what did you do to him, you ass-hole?" Thinking the worse, that Cole would have hurt the dog for some, as yet, unknown reason.

Cole flinched with the harsh tone and unfair accusation. He couldn't remember doing anything to the dog except holding onto it tightly as they both fell down the stairs. He looked at the dog, the domesticated animal was actually fine, completely unscathed with only the faintest trace of Cole's blood around his maw, "Nothing, I-I didn't do anything to the dog" He paused looking back down, "He _bit_ me!"

Lloyd and Kai both looked at each other, unsure of what to say or do, "Why'd he bite you huh, Cole?" Lloyd queried, still dabbing his soaking wet hair.

The dog had come back to Lloyd's side, he was quick to notice that the dog did have blood on its coat. It was hard not to notice it as Nanook's coat was mostly white underneath with a pale grey on top. He looked like a fluffy wolf to most.

Cole looked down to his wounded hand, "Th-this is my blood," he stated, painfully. Cole could see that it was still bleeding despite his attempts at constricting the blood flow. "He was protecting you, Lloyd."

Well that was fairly obvious. The dog hadn't left his side from the moment they had all arrived here. "Protecting me from what, Cole?"

Cole shuffled uncomfortably from the shadows, looking the picture of death as opposed to health. Dishevelled and covered with a fine sheen of sweat he straightened himself, "He was protecting you..." He paused and stood face to face with Lloyd and Kai, "Protecting you from me!"

"Uh Cole?" Kai whispered as his eyes took in the horrifying image that the mirror was reflecting. He stepped back and joined Zane's side, looking somewhat petrified as they all stood in front of the mirror. With his heart in his mouth he stepped forwards slightly, "Holy shit! l-look at your reflection, buddy!"

Cole had turned, not expecting to see anything remotely scary.

Instead, what he saw made his heart beat faster and he stared in shock at what he could see. If he could be any paler than deathly white at this moment, any remaining colour would have left his complexion in a heartbeat. He stared at himself in disbelief. There was nothing there, just the eerie silhouette of where his body should be.

All three of his brothers were standing behind him, literally waving their hands behind Cole's now non existent reflection. Cole could see their hands where his body was supposed to be.

Lloyd quickly commented, despite feeling incredibly miffed that Cole would have even attempted to bite him, "You're a creature of the night Cole. Just like out of a comic book!"

Kai was the first to think of Jay. Though he couldn't make sense of what had just happened or what he was actually witnessing. A little bravery started to resurface, "You bite Jay too, huh. Turn him into a blood sucker?" He squeaked and hid partially behind Zane. The only creature that Cole wouldn't be attempting to suck the blood from.

All three elemental ninja were huddled together, stronger as a group as opposed to needing to take Cole on separately if they needed to. Presently, they had no real idea of what they were up against.

The master of energy was quick to interject Kai's question. At least some of the Frog brothers rhetoric had gone into his brain, "You can't be turned by a bite, Kai!" He was sure of that. The only way to be a vampire was to drink the blood of one, and sometimes, the unwilling or unknowing victims would be tricked into drinking it as the vampire blood would be hidden in some sort of drinks receptacle. Namely; a wine bottle, a hip flask, or even a bottle of unsuspecting root beer. Similar to the one that Kai was currently drinking.

Cole hadn't heard Lloyd, he was too appalled by what he almost did to him. Shaking his head miserably, he looked back up to Kai, "n-no, I didn't bite him. Jay was alright the last time I saw him."

"Then where the HELL is he and WHY did you just try and suck Lloyd dry?"

He was trembling as he stood in front of the mirror. Observing himself and his three brothers who were staring back at Cole's reflection in shock and disbelief. "Jay was as safe as he could be, he was away from David when I left him."

Kai's eyes narrowed further and he pinched the bridge of his nose, "So you _do_ remember leaving him then?"

Cole had nodded in response, his eye contact had dropped, "I-I went back for him, but...but he wasn't there." He muttered, biting his lip and turning away momentarily.

He vividly remembered going back to the cave after Jay had found him laying in the ravine's gorge. Then he had completely disregarded Jay and the fact he had tried to help. The only thing on his mind had been these new guys and Star. And getting back to the cave to carry on with their rich and playful indulgences of almost everything illegal. Shamefully or not, he'd also scored with Star, at least on the friend level. She'd even followed through with her promise to pierce his ear. The whole of that night and early morning had been a literal drunken blur. There was no small wonder he couldn't remember much.

 _"Just remember Cole, you'll never die, you'll never grow old and you'll never know fear again!" It was the last thing that David had said before Cole had joined them._

Cole had only come to his senses at 7am. Then he'd remembered that he had actually left Jay out in the wild all night and early morning. And because of that, he had raced back there. Travelled back to the train tracks and down into the gorge, stopping on the cliff face, where he'd left Jay.

But then the look of sheer horror on his face when there was no sign of his brother. The look of complete and utter devastation that made his hands tremble and his movements to become sluggish and uncoordinated.

His brother wasn't here, Jay had gone missing and there was no trace, just drag marks. Cole had clenched his jaw. He'd sat there for an hour, crying. Fearing the worst, that a bear or some other wild animal had overpowered Jay and had dragged him off to eat him slowly.

 _'I'm so sorry Jay.'_

The master of earth cradled his bitten hand as he walked behind the mirror. To him it resembled a plain sheet of glass from the front, and in his incredibly hungry, almost starved state, he could have imagined it to be a trick, or a prank. One that Jay or even Donald would be more than capable of pulling off. But the back of the mirror was solid, enclosed by the wooden frame it came in. "I-I can't be," Cole exclaimed in a mild panic.

"You are Cole. This, although very difficult to critically analyse as I have never experienced this phenomena before. This, is a sure sign that _you_ are a..." Zane looked like he was having a hard time saying the word. It was something that _he_ himself didn't want to believe, " _You_ are a vampire. One of the undead, as they are commonly known. Or, a blood sucker, as Kai just eloquently put it." he turned his stern gaze to Kai, but the fire master was furious.

"You're a _vampire_ , one of _them_?" Lloyd stated, bewildered by the mere utterance of that remark. It was like some ridiculous thing to admit, let alone speak out. Something he would have never believed in.

* * *

Three days ago, Lloyd had been working with the Frog brothers.

Alan had combed back black hair and wore the whole USAAF jumpsuit 'get up' where as Edgar Frog, the dirty blonde. He wore a bandana scarf and resembled the less muscled variety of Rambo from first blood, even down to his camouflage outfit.

For a couple of nights, these two brothers had proceeded to regale Lloyd with the tales of slaying these supposed pests. The brothers blamed the vampires, plain and simple. They were the ones that seem to be the culprits for the missing persons around here. There was no other explanation for it, and none were forthcoming from the police nor sheriff's.

Lloyd, thought they were more conspiracy theorists than anything because there was no solid proof. There were no bones, no trails, nothing.

He was being mostly sceptical. After all, he didn't really want to believe that there were flying humanoid creatures with a mouth full of fangs in such a close proximity to such a high population. A vampires own reason for being here was to wreak havoc and feast on the blood of the living. It wasn't the most ideal thing to have floating around his head before sleep.

Even the comic book they gave him was a nc17 rated thing. Just reading it made Lloyd question his own sanity, then he questioned the sanity of the writers too. But then, these Frog brothers seemed adamant that he have it.

"Think of it more as a survival manual." Alan Frog had stated, thrusting the horror comic back into his hands, " _There's_ our number on the back." He pointed.

Lloyd had turned it over. Some confusion was there on his face. What sort of comic book store purposefully ruins the covers and backs of these works of art with stickers even if the content of such a comic was repulsive? It was a huge no no. Comics, regardless of popularity, should always be stored in a clear plastic wallet to preserve them. Yet these two brothers had stuck adhesives onto the back. Lloyd thought maybe it was just the back of this one. He hoped they hadn't been stuck to the others...That would be difficult to explain to some serious collectors.

"Why would I need your number?" Lloyd quizzed.

Lloyd got a fleeting suspicion that Alan and Edgar Frog thought of him as a weakling, someone who would shy away from trouble or avoid it like the plague. Little did they know of his fighting styles or those of his own brothers. He was far from helpless.

"Here's our number, " Alan reiterated, "And pray, you never need to call it."

Lloyd looked down at the number, the number was written in crimson red. Then he had looked back up at Alan and Edgar's serious faces, "I'll pray," He started, not wanting to offend, "Uhm, I'll pray that I never need to call it, or you."

* * *

"I can't believe it, My own brother," Lloyd shouted angrily. Traversing up the stairs backwards whilst not daring to peel his eyes from his brother Cole. This was the brother he had trusted with his life. The master of earth, the focused one of the team. The last one to see Jay alive and well.

" _ **Lloyd please!**_ "

"My own brother..." He retreated back up the stairs, all the while looking at Cole, now wholly unbelieving of what he had said about Jay. "A god damned shit sucking vampire." He shouted, running back up the stairs with the dog in tow.

"Lloyd wait, wait please...I-I can explain."

Could he explain, truthfully?

He had no idea what was going on. Cole thought that in order to be a vampire, you had to be bitten by one and the fact still hadn't sunk in of what was actually happening to him, apart from the fact he no longer had a reflection. Was that supposed to be his solid concrete evidence? Maybe explaining as to why he was so hungry and nothing he had tried had helped to quell the hunger pangs. Was it because he only wanted blood?

Kai was well aware of the time. He'd begun to nudge his nindroid brother to no avail. Kai knew that his sister, Nya was about to finish her shift and that he'd promised to pick her up. But how could he leave when this had just happened? "Zane, are you going to be okay?"

The nindroid nodded, he looked disgruntled at having his strength and fighting skill brought into question. Cocking his head slightly, he looked at Kai, "I believe I am more than capable of keeping Cole under supervision, or at least keeping Lloyd company until you return!" He suggested.

Cole looked thoroughly displeased with _that_ because these last 48 hours he'd been under close supervision as was. And now the current situation meant he was going to be under even closer scrutiny, but he wasn't going to question it. And, he certainly wasn't going to chase Lloyd up the stairs to attempt to reason with him. Instead, he asked Zane if he could just go up to his shared bedroom. "I'll stay in there until you get back, you don't need to baby me. I've got it under control now!"

Kai raised his eyebrow, "Debatable!"

Zane had still nodded at Cole's whispered suggestion before turning to regard Kai's urgent request, "I will join Lloyd, and talk to him." he paused and looked back at Cole who was at the top of the stairs, "Go and pick her up,. Nya will need to know about this, and Kai?-" Zane said, holding onto Kai's shaking forearm, "Drive carefully brother. I know what we all saw tonight has likely affected us all. So drive carefully!"

Kai was silent, his jaw clenched so tightly as he grasped the car keys, "I'll be back as soon as I can-" He spoke in a quite tone, whispering into Zane's ear, "-we can talk about this when I get back, right?" He turned looking at Cole when he said that.

"Just go Kai, I'm not going to try eating anyone...if that's what you think." Cole mumbled from his position at the top of the stairs.

That was just as unsettling. The master of earth's hearing was incredible, even from the top of the stairs he could hear what Kai had whispered into Zane's ear from the front door. Both elemental masters had turned at hearing Cole.

"Kai, go. Hurry back, no delays." Zane warned and cautiously approached the stairs. Walking steadily up each one until he was face to face with the blood thirsty master of earth. "I will be okay, Kai." He stated without looking back, "Just go!"

* * *

 **Thanks for all the reviews and for the congrats. It hasn't sunk in yet that I've got a nursing science degree.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Remember only one of these guys has been turned so far, _by David_...**


	24. Chapter 24

Cole had gone into the bedroom after having shared the briefest of tense moments with Zane.

No words had been spoken when Kai had left. Cole simply stared into Zane's eyes, wondering to himself if the artificial blood that ran freely through Zane would taste like the real deal. He frowned slightly, there was an overpowering metallic smell that seemed to cloud his new vampiric senses. But it made him feel ill, the thought of attempting to rip chunks off of a flesh covered robot didn't serve to assuage his hunger pangs, nor quell his desire for blood.

It made him feel the same as before, when he'd tried to eat normal food.

He turned his back on Zane and shut the bedroom door, locking it securely as he knew that Lloyd would have done further down the hallway. Annoyingly, he could hear Zane trying to reason with the master of energy and from his keen hearing he could also tell that Zane had been successful in his endeavours. Because after that half meaningful discussion of Zane talking to the door, Lloyd had reluctantly let his brother enter. Then, there was nothing but silence in the hallway.

Cole had thrown himself on the bed, rubbing his temples in slow circles. He was attempting to mentor himself, remembering what his Sensei had uttered time and time again, "stay calm, just stay calm." he whispered.

Deep breaths in and a slow release of pent up aggression with each outward exhale. It didn't take long for Cole, the master of earth to fall asleep. Hunger and increasing weakness certainly helped to shut his body down enough for sleep to take place.

In fact, his body was so relaxed that when he woke up an hour later he found he wasn't on the bed anymore. He was on something much harder and incredibly unforgiving. It reminded him of falling out of bed but rather than face planting and landing with a sudden bump, he found that this, _whatever_ it was, was a softer landing...in a sense!

His face was being pressed into what felt like the floor, but when he groggily opened his eyes, he realised that it wasn't the floor he was laying on, The floor was dark wood and this was very definitely magnolia.

It was the ceiling.

His eyes widened fearfully, "what the hell?"

Placing both hands either side of his face, Cole attempted, in earnest to turn himself over onto his back but his body didn't want to cooperate.

"Oh come on!" he hissed out loud, mostly to himself. Not that anyone outside the room could hear him. "Why is this so difficult?"

He tried grabbing for anything to make his feet touch Terra firma again, but the more he tried, the more he ended up standing on the ceiling at an angle that gave him a backwards leaning diagonal stance rather than upright and vertical.

His frustration mounting, he began to panic. His hands were lashing out at anything and everything to get a decent handle on the nearest pieces of upright furniture. The counter top being the closest tumbled to the ground when his uncoordinated movements sent it to the floor. Next was the chest of drawers. Everything on there was now scattered on the floor, nothing breakable at least.

His flailing hands found the dark wood Venetian blinds and the attached pulley string by chance. He'd inadvertently pulled on the string and the whole thing shot up faster than a rocket firework.

Now faced with a large open window and the sheer unknown beyond that, Cole began to shout out in desperation.

Nobody came to his rescue.

* * *

Breaking the laws of science and physics wasn't the sort of thing that Kai would do out in public, _on purpose_.

None of them would choose to do it willingly, except for one spirited individual. The one individual that was missing, now presumed dead according to Santa Carla's _finest_ PD.

Jay, the master of lightning had done on one occasion. He'd been out in public and in the middle of a storm, sort of obscured on the radio tower, attached to the large erected metal antenna. He was completely out of it because someone had spiked his drink. The whole thing had given him a god complex because his element allowed him to control and form lightning bolts. And no one had seen him do it, except for his Sensei, Master Wu and the Sensei's brother, Master Garmadon. They were the ones who had been trying to coax him down from certain peril.

It took him a while to live that down. They'd not blamed him of course, just forbade them, as a whole team from having any more distant friends over.

Their secret was too important to be revealed. Since that day, they had been told to only practise in secrecy. Their sanctuary for meditating and reflection, their place of focus and battle strategy was to only be open to those who were honest. To those who wanted to uphold the vision that the first spinjitzu master had held.

And, when they had to practise their moves and battle stances, or hone their skills and handle the elements they were born with; they did so with caution even back at the monastery. Elemental control and wielding had to be done in secrecy. It was wholly unheard of for elemental masters to be able to control and wield the basic elements of nature. Even more so with their bare hands or weapons that had been specifically crafted to enhance these 'said' _elemental_ attributes.

They'd be considered as mutants, all six of them. That wasn't a road they had wanted to go down.

So the monastery was closed to everybody else, outside. It was seen as an academy to everyone else, _a very exclusive academy_.

So, since then and during the day, they, as a whole attended had their local colleges. They all acted like normal inconspicuous teenagers, about to enrol into University to further their career choices. And, at nightfall, they would don their gi's, patrol their local city and townships. Out in pairs, safety in numbers, always returning to the monastery.

* * *

 _ **Friday am**_

 _ **Location: downtown Santa Carla**_

Kai had travelled across town rapidly. Driving through every amber light at 75, not even daring to stop. It was as if the brakes were an optional extra in this station wagon. In fact, he was sure that it had never fully been opened up to this speed before because the huge grey cloud that emanated from the exhaust pipe told him that there was a fair amount of dried oil residue in the exhaust system.

Or, the cloud of smoke could be a sign that the old lady whom Lloyd had bought the clunker from in the first place had forgot to mention that it needed oil, prior to making a 700 mile journey.

He didn't care, the only thing on his mind was getting back to his brother,s. The one's who were currently living, only two of them were. Cole was technically the un-dead. He had to put all of his hope in the fact that the police might actually do something about looking for Jay.

He had all the windows open in the car as he gunned it down the highway to the coastal road. The air conditioning was on and it was fairly evident that the filters hadn't been changed for at least ten years as the resulting cold air smelt stale and dusty. But it was all he could do to stop his hands from turning into flames as he drove.

Kai spotted her, she was sitting on a bench talking to a member of staff who was about to hail a taxicab. He drove up along side and the brakes screeched loudly. Alerting her to the fact that her lift had arrived. He thought she was saying her goodbye's painfully slow and so he rushed her a little, by revving the engine and honking the horn.

Patience wasn't one of his strong suits, especially not now, not tonight.

"Nya, we need to get you home _**now**_ -" Kai hissed, opening the door from the driver side seat of the station wagon, "-something's happened with Cole."

"What happened?" She asked, her moves had suddenly faltered, "-is he okay?"

" _ **Get in-"**_ He ordered.

Kai leaned over and grabbed her bags quickly as well as the take away dessert she'd promised to bring back, "- _NOW!_ "

His eyes were glued to the road and he looked like he hadn't slept at all for at least 48 hours hours. "I'll explain more when you get back, you need to see this."

Nya had quite suddenly thought when they had turned onto the last main road, " **OH MY GOD KAI, I-I saw Jay!** " She said, clearly surprised by her own excited admission.

" **WHAT?** " Kai shouted, turning his stunned expression to her, "What did you just say?"

Nya's grin made it perfectly clear that she wasn't joking, "I saw Jay," She replied, more reserved this time. "Kai," She noted his eyes were still observing her until a bright flash of light brought them both back to their senses. "LOOK OUT!" she yelled.

"OH SHIT!" He cussed, slamming on the brakes. Not only had he almost run a red light, he'd almost T-boned a car coming across the intersection. Their car heavily skidded to a dramatic halt.

"Say again, y-you saw Jay?" he exclaimed with more nerves than anything, "Wh-where? Uh I mean when and where, and uhm is he, is he okay?"

From what Cole had admitted earlier, Kai had seriously doubted it. Both himself and Lloyd thought him dead, eaten by a bear or something.

She nodded, "I saw him tonight, well midnight. H-he's okay, says he'd been sleeping for the past two days!" She seemed so happy when she spoke of seeing him, "I think he had a concussion, he's got a nasty wound on his head. But, he's very obviously not missing...well, he was but he's not now."

"Well, where the hell is he _now_? Where the hell has he been sleeping for the past few days? How the fuck could he not know that we've been looking for him?" Kai said, now gasping for breath. "Wh-why didn't he come back home?"

A car horn beeped at him as he looked at Nya for the answers he was hoping she could provide him with. "GET SCREWED!" He shouted out of the window, putting his middle finger up.

Thankfully it wasn't a state trooper or police squad car. Just a regular unsuspecting baby boomer that drove past slowly and then proceeded to cut Kai up with the appalling shows of driving.

"He was ill when Max found him. He took him to Ms Johnson's!" She replied, relieved in a way that she'd at least remembered the names Jay had uttered.

Kai's eyebrows were bunched together, "Wait, why didn't he bring him back home, I mean, back to Donald's?" His bruised knuckles rubbed the back of his hair, "Hang on, who the heck is Max and this _Johnson_ woman, do we know them?"

Nya had shaken her head. "Donald has been going on about the Widow Johnson, I'm guessing she might be one and the same and, uhm, Max is the owner of the video store."

His expression still wore a frown, although it had lessened at the mention that Jay sort of knew Max. "Wonder if it's a mother son thing. What's Max's last name?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "How the hell do you expect me to know that?"

"Cos you're Jay's girlfriend and he would have told you anything!" He reasoned, laughing slightly. Although he'd made it painfully obvious that he still didn't like the idea of them shacking up together.

Nya, grateful for the levity, stared at Kai with the same concern. "Well I don't think he knows the last name, besides, he said, he'd tell us when he got back home."

"So-" Kai paused, putting the indicator on and staring in the rear view and wing mirrors before steering,"-he's safe right, Jay, I mean?" He asked, deadly serious as he sped down the road.

He wasn't overly caring that he was breaking the law. His first and only thought was getting back safely to assist Zane with Cole. The road's were otherwise empty at this time of night because all the clubbers had gone home and everyone else had been fast asleep for the best part of these three hours. "Can he spend the night at Max's again?"

Nya shook her head. "He said he wanted to come home, he was reluctant to stay another night."

"We cant leave Lloyd on his own again so Jay's gonna have to stay another night," Kai gripped the wheel tightly, his sweaty fingers squeaking on the worn rubber of the steering wheel.

"I mean he say's he's safe, but..."

Kai was adamant that they could attempt to reason with Cole. And, once Donald got back from his extended weekend, he'd be able to ask about this 'Johnson woman's' address, "We can't do it tonight, he's just gonna have to grin and bear it for another night."

Nya wasn't so sure that Jay would have agreed with that. His eyes were searching hers for any sign that someone would come and pick him up. But Max had looked after him, The middle aged man had taken Jay in and helped him back to health, provided a roof over his head. He was harmless, just as Jay had mentioned.

"So-" Nya shuffled, turning her body to face Kai, "-what's up with Cole?" She asked calmly.

He was navigating the back road to Donald's house. Typically, the old man lived just off of Golf course road to the side and his house had a long narrow road leading up to it. An unlit narrow road one that was covered in potholes.

"Cole's a vampire!"

He delivered the statement in such a deadpan voice that Nya thought he was joking.


	25. Flying high

_**Time skip**_

 _ **Thursday night**_

 _ **Location Donald's home**_

* * *

Grabbing onto the window frame and upper lintel was the only way from stopping himself from flying out of the window and out into the dark of the night like a helium balloon.

Cole held as tight as he could bear. Squeezing his eyes shut in fierce determination; so as _not_ to let go. He tried desperately to cling onto the roof tiles but simultaneously cringed when he grabbed the roof ledge and attached tiles.

He'd finally gained a decent purchase on something to forestall his further ascent.

Cole hadn't noticed until now but the shallow sloping roof was covered in wooden shingles. Back at the monastery, the tiles were mostly terracotta, they were heavy and substantial enough to bear weight, being that those tiles had been baked in a kiln. He assumed that these would be strong too.

He was proven wrong! His face dropped when the shingle tiles began to rattle and lift, " _ZANE?_ A little help here."

To his chagrin, he realised that the wooden tiles probably weren't strong enough to grasp at nor did they provide any decent grip. The stupid things were lifting up like he was. Not that he cared at that exact moment about damaging the house, but the nearest tile he grabbed out at wasn't attached at all and a whole row of them rattled off in quick succession. He gave a choked cry, " **Shit, Zane, uh L-Lloyd!** " Cole shouted for both but wasn't expecting Lloyd to come forward. Although, it would have been nice to know that he still cared.

All of those _cobwebbed_ shingles went crashing to the floor rapidly and he cringed at the sight below him. At least 25 feet underneath his floating form, were a nice pile of shingles. Cole just knew that was going to take some serious explaining too, that and his current predicament of being a _supposed vampire_. But, regardless of his dire situation that was quickly getting literally _out of hand_ , that momentous blunder left his right arm flailing again and he had a vague feeling that he now resembled one of those inflatable funnies that had flailing arms, the types seen in used car forecourts.

Finally, in the light of the moon, he spotted a faded long black sliver of perpetual hope otherwise known as a telegraph wire and he grasped onto the exterior cable like it were a life line. Cole pulled on it hopelessly whilst wrapping it around his left wrist, one handed. It was the only thing that was tethering his further ascent and unplanned journey into the sky. As he would have guessed, the rubber covered cable ripped piece by piece from the cable holders which housed and secured the phone line to the house.

A precarious situation for Cole, he was hovering in mid air!

Finally, putting all of his body weight on the cable had procured a device he could actually use. Cole now had a working telephone as he was soaring into the night sky!

This was the second most strangest feeling in the world; the first was learning to control the element of earth. The second, was getting used to the idea that he might just be flying, if he call it that.

Cole had roughly grabbed the dangling handset and the attached base. He lifted the receiver, at least Zane could answer the damn phone and get off of his backside to help.

How so typical, just like being back home and fighting over who gets to use the telephone. He growled in response and rolled his eyes in exasperation because green machine was using the phone, like in an attempt to call all of the emergency services including the coastguard.

"GET OFF THE PHONE, LLOYD!" Cole yelled down the receiver end. He didn't even care or realise that Lloyd hadn't managed to phone anyone. His mind was too pre-occupied with the undeniable fact that he was still holding on for dear life.

" ** _A_ _RGH, G-get off the phone!_** " He hissed. He couldn't see his brother, only hear his higher toned voice as clear as day.

Lloyd was proceeding to contact Nya in a mad panic because he was shouting her name into the receiver repeatedly, despite slamming the handset down numerous times to get a dial tone.

"Zane," Lloyd called into the house and upper bedroom, "-this phone won't give me a dial tone!"

Cole couldn't hear Zane, only the mildly panicked voice of Lloyd. The slightly younger master of energy sounded like he was cowering somewhere between his bed and the floor, maybe he was hiding under the mattress; that would be a first, " **GOD DAMNIT LLOYD** , get off the _frickin phone!_ "

"SHIT!" He screeched. The cable holders gave way again and Cole managed to move further across the top of the house until he was near enough staring into Zane's shared bedroom. And typically enough, there he was.

Lloyd was on the floor, nestled between the bed and the bedside cabinet with the phone. The Vampire comic book in one hand and the other on the dialling ring. He was dialling a number but frowning too.

Struck by sudden anger and rage, Cole shouted in response, " ** _What ever he's saying. . .h_ _-he's lying Nya._** " He growled, shouting at the window.

He could see Lloyd, the master of energy was sitting on the floor whilst scrolling down the comic book page for the telephone number of those damned Frog Brothers. The ones who had filled his head with all this vampire stuff. He wouldn't necessarily call it nonsense now though.

Cole could tell that Lloyd was quite clearly panicking. The blonde haired dude was making crude finger crucifixes, like that would stop him from flat out sucking the blood from his veins.

 _It wouldn't,_ but the dog at his side probably would.

"You idiot," Cole spat, "I dare you to do that to my face!"

Lloyd had cowered, he had actually cowered in fear.

Cole smirked in response, but the smug grin soon disappeared when the cable holders came away again, thus giving him a few extra metres of length to use, either to his advantage or demise. His expression dropped like a lead weight and he slid further across the now straining cable. A small part of his mind wondered how much weight a telephone line could hold, bearing in mind that his whole 196 lb body was being tethered to the planet by way of an insulated copper cable.

This, is what he would imagine being in space was like. Typically, when the main tethering cable from a rocket or space station had snapped and the astronauts were cast out into the dangers of cold open space. This is what it would feel like to be cast out into the abyss.

All he had was this cable. It was his literal lifeline from the unknown, from the petrifying unknown that awaited him if he let go or if the cable snapped.

" **Argh, Z-Zane. . .** " Cole screeched at the top of his lungs.

The master of earth was floating so high above his natural element, it was unreal. Dangling impossibly, yet defying the laws of gravity with his free arm flailing in the night air. Cole did all that he could to hold on, to keep a grasp on some form of reality. "ZANE, PLEASE." Was his plea, he could only hope that Zane had heard him, he knew Lloyd had because the master of energy had been so freaked out about seeing an invisible reflection of him, furthermore at seeing him floating outside his bedroom.

And, there was the small fact that Cole had admitted that Nanook, _the dog_ had only bitten out to protect Lloyd as he bathed.

* * *

How had it all come to this, to him flying in mid air? Hanging on to a thin rubbed insulated scrap of sanity. That scrap, being a thin telephone wire and the attached handset and base.

" **ZANE!** _Help me,_ " his desperate shouted pleas for assistance felt like they were going by unnoticed.

But it was all he could do to save from letting go. The cable he had wrapped around his wrist to gain a better purchase, the only issue was that it was starting to bite into his skin as it wound tighter with the weight of his body pulling against it. A noose like effect, the more it pulled, the tighter it got. The good thing, he wasn't going anywhere, but he was still hovering and that in itself was terrifying for someone who had only just woken up...on the ceiling.

Then, ' _green machine_ ' had piped up and remembered an excerpt from a stupid comic book that he'd recently been given. Cole growled at the accusation, he couldn't be a vampire, it was insane, there was no such thing. This was happening too damned fast. He'd found out that in the space of one night, he was one of the un-dead. A vampire was what Zane had surmised, it was partially confirmed when Cole stood in front of a mirror and couldn't see his own reflection. It would certainly explain this predicament and the fact that he tried to drink every last drop of blood from his brother as he lay in the bath.

"ARGH, Zane!-" His voice was cracking under the strain of shouting at the top of his lungs,"-please. . . _HELP!_ "

Either Donald had triple glazing, the sound proofing was exceptional or he was being ignored. He hoped it wasn't the latter, none of this was his fault.

Finally like an angel in white, Zane had appeared at the open window of Nya's small bedroom. He stared out of the window and his expression was fairly easy to identify as one of complete and utter disbelief. " ** _Cole?_** "

Cole registered the look and was about to say something snarky in response but fear took the words from his mouth instead, "Zane, help me!...Please,"

The master of ice thought quickly. Cole was too far away from his and Jay's bedroom window. He had surpassed the front of the house and had floated over the top of the low roof. Somehow, whatever was happening to Cole's body was pulling him into the night and Zane had to act quickly or he'd be reporting another brother as lost and missing.

He noticed that Cole was horizontally hovering a good thirty feet off the floor nearest Lloyd's shared bedroom. Zane had only found out when Lloyd had stared open mouthed at Cole's sneaker covered feet, screaming almost at the top of his own lungs.

He carefully climbed out of the window and, grasping the lintel above the window frame, he hoisted himself up, "-good idea that Donald had chosen to use solid timber for these?" He mumbled thoughtfully, seemingly impressed with the sturdy building materials in use.

"ZANE?"

Snapped back into the hear and now, "Hold on Cole, I just need to get up to the roof before I can attempt to pull you back in." Zane was twisting his body effortlessly in an effort to get up and onto the gentle slope of the roof. A fairly easy manoeuvre for Zane, this was something they did on a regular occurrence. He didn't need to warm up as such nor do toning exercises because his systems were always functioning and up to optimal specification.

Besides, this part of their training came natural, climbing and clambering across roof spaces to make their getaways was all part of the job description. Being up high tended to mean they were inconspicuous to everyone else, no one noticed them.

The same couldn't be said for Cole. If they were in a city, Cole would have given their position away in a heartbeat.

Now finally grasping the telephone cable Zane reeled him in slowly but surely, "You realise that this is a form of flying?" Zane suggested with the smallest hint of a grin.

Cole grumbled, he didn't even entertain that thought because this didn't feel like flying, it felt like the uncoordinated movements of a fledgling. There was no gracefulness to it, just flailing limbs.

* * *

It was only Cole that was panting harshly, Zane looked the picture of health, as usual.

"I'm fine Zane, I think I've got it under control now."

"Hmm, I have a feeling that you will undoubtedly experience other episodes of vampirism tonight!" He said sitting next to Cole's panting form as they both sat on the floor of Nya's bedroom. "This, alluding to the fact that you have already experienced three episodes already tonight."

"Is that what you're calling this-" He asked, laughing darkly at the term his brother had used, "Vampirism?" His eyebrow raised.

He prodded at his hand and the dressing he had haphazardly wrapped around it. Luckily it was still secure but it didn't feel any better, it was still stinging like a bitch. Cole was subconsciously checking to see if he was the proud owner of any fangs yet, "three?" he questioned, suspiciously.

"The thirst, the reflection and what just happened." Zane offered, helpfully. He even held three digits up to prove his point, "Three things so far!"

"Haa so far. . . You seem quite calm about all this, Zane?" Cole said, shaking his head, "I really didn't think anything else could happen, it couldn't get any worse, surely?"

"I think the saying is famous last words-" Zane interjected, laughing softly, "Honestly, define worse Cole."

The master of earth was stuck for an answer, "I-I can't be a v. . .Vampi." He couldn't bring himself to say it, it was ludicrous.

" **You** _are_ a vampire-" Zane said as gently as he could, "-technically you are one of the un-dead, the proof stands for itself."

Cole had taken to pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, "yeah, so ya keep saying." He muttered under his breath.

 _'And like I keep sayin, this wasn't my fault.'_

"And, I like to believe that _I_ would remain calm in times of stress and difficulty, should my _brothers_ need it," He gave a half smile but Cole wasn't buying it, "-as _you_ did tonight."

He turned to look back at Cole, he still looked the picture of death, "You will be okay, _Cole_? I need to speak with Lloyd, to make sure he is alright!"

 _'Of course he's alright, he's got a dog to protect him. Everybody else for that matter.'_

" _Yeah go,_ Zane-" Cole shuffled slightly and rubbed his sore wrist, "-I'll be just peachy here." He replied sarcastically.

Zane frowned at the tone but steadily rose to his feet, "Do you think you can hold off the thirst?"

"I-I think I can," He said with a small shake of his head. It was just too stupid to entertain the idea that he was a vampire.

" _Seriously_ , I'll be fine, just go Zane. In fact-" Cole had stood quickly and opened the door, allowing his brother free passage. "-I insist."

"Cole, we need to talk abou. . ."

"Later I promise, not now-" Cole growled, and gently pushed Zane out of the room that wasn't even his.

Zane was surprised with the strength that Cole exerted, _'Make that; four things...'_ He noted to himself.

Cole watched curiously as the master of ice walked off back to his shared bedroom, he hadn't even turned around.

A sigh of complete and utter bewilderment, Cole turned his back to the wall and slumped dejectedly into a pitiful heap on the floor. Now he knew he'd be waiting for his potential belittling and berating talk from the remaining team of ninja.

And it pained him to know that one of the ninja, would have argued his case for him or would've been the neutral party. . . and he was still missing.

 _'I'll be alright, I've got this, whatever this is!'_

Now just resigned to sitting on his own as the events of the evening caught up with him. Zane had left him. His brother had made sure to sit with him until he had calmed down. And, he was partly grateful for that fact. He would have preferred Jay though, he would have given anything to know where _he_ was. To know that he was okay, and _alive_.

* * *

A few minutes later he had crept out of Nya's room and back down the stairs where he simply waited in the darkness. He was waiting for his moment, that moment being when Kai and Nya would be returning. It would be the perfect opportunity to sneak out and find the answers he so desperately craved.

It hadn't taken long. Kai must have been speeding to get to the coast and back in record time. This considering how many lengthy traffic light signals and intersections he had to travel through.

And as soon as he saw the headlights coming down the driveway, Cole skulked off into the garage and grabbed his black motocross. He waited for a few minutes and no longer. They had entered the house and all he could hear was talking and the sounds of Nya talking excitedly about something or other. He grabbed the handlebars, pushing his black bike slowly to the end of the drive without being seen or heard.

Cole didn't think it a good idea to kick start his bike so close to the house, he didn't want to be stopped, he wanted answers and he knew just the person who could provide him with them.

* * *

 **Technically, I'm doing this scene by scene. So this part would be when Cole was hovering in mid air, at least 30 feet above ground. Being pulled by some unknown force. This was the third of his vampiric episodes to surface...the first being the thirst, then the reflection (or lack-thereof) then followed by the uncoordinated flying.**

 **Thanks for the reviews xx**


	26. Loner

_**Friday early hours**_

 _ **Location: downtown Santa Carla**_

 _ **Time: roughly 3am (knock off time)**_

"Hey Cole, now that I know you're still alive, I thought of a good joke for ya," he said to himself, _loudly_ , as he walked down the lonely street with his hands in his pockets, "So there was this one guy, right?"

Jay had found a pebble, which he proceeded to kick as he walked in _loud_ contemplation. There were no apartments around here, just commercial properties, so no risk in waking people up, unless he smashed a window if he kicked it too hard.

"He had ten chocolate cakes, and someone asked for two," he said as he saw a bench up ahead in the distance, "So, knowing that, how many would you have left if you gave him two, Cole?"

Kicking a small pebble as he walked toward the bench, "that's right you'd still have ten cos you wouldn't have given any away."

"Let me ask you this then," he said with a deep sigh. Still a hint of positivity as he walked and talked to himself, "if the two cakes were _forcibly_ taken, how many would you have left then?"

Jay had crossed the road, he hadn't even looked to see if it was clear, "your answer would be: that you'd still have ten cakes and a dead body right?" He snickered to himself but the smile that accompanied it soon dropped when he realised he hadn't seen his _changed_ best friend or brothers for three whole days.

"Ugh, this sucks balls," He groaned to himself, "-having to rely on my brothers to pick me up because I don't have a ride anymore, this is so lame."

A street light lit it up invitingly. It was a good view that looked out across the now darkened boardwalk and where the lighthouse would shine on occasionally. He sat himself down gently and looked back at his watch. Jay ached all over yet he couldn't place why he felt so crap, he thought it might just be the same thing that made him lose those two days. Perhaps what ever had made him feel so lousy was also responsible for his sheer lack of energy, although the more he remembered, the more he thought he may have pushed himself and this _exhaustion_ was just a side effect of feeling drained.

The bench wasn't comfortable in the slightest and there was no way in hell that he'd fall asleep here, he might never wake up, too many dodgy characters about.

Then, there was a rustling in his pocket, and he retrieved a sheet of pale blue A4 paper. The same sheet that had been folded and tucked in his back pocket during the space of the night shift. He unfurled the dog eared scrap again and looked down at the picture. As depressing as it was, it was also comforting, but right at this moment it was still in his hands, slowly being torn into shreds, "You still care about me enough to make this though. Really, though guys...you could'a chosen a better photo."

"Yep, just a guy waiting for a lift home," He half laughed to himself, looking painfully at his digital watch, "Someone who was thought of as missing a few days ago now. A ninja in disguise, haa any takers guys? ANYONE?"

Jay leaned to his side and scattered the torn pieces of his personal flyer into the trash can, "Come on guys, where are you?"

Ruffling his hair, Jay's gaze kept wandering to his watch, habit forming as he was checking every 15 seconds. Tapping his feet, rubbing his hands together to keep boredom away. "Come on!" He whined.

"Hey honey, looking for some action baby?" A female asked seductively as she walked slowly behind the young man, thinking that he might be wanting some attention, for a price.

"Little bit late, isn't it?" Jay looked around himself cautiously, ' _She's a hooker, this is what time they come out to play._ '

Still no cars were nearby nor in the vicinity.

The ebony haired hooker had sat next to him and Jay's audible groan could be heard against the gentle sounds of the waves breaking. "It's just you and me baby!" She said as she edged closer,

He looked around, tongue in cheek, " _You're right_ ," he whispered, "it is just you and me," Jay rolled his eyes, biting his inner cheek in the process, "I've also got a _girlfriend_."

"No one would even know, or see!" She said, winking.

" _I'd know_..." Jay replied sarcastically with a sour taste in his mouth, he was completely disinterested in lil' Miss 'plastic fantastic.'

"Most men stray, husbands as well." She countered with a cocquettish attitude.

" _Great_!" Jay huffed, "such a great thing to look forward to then!"

"You'll just have to excuse my lack of interest in talking to ya, but I'm tired, and, don't have a dollar to my name." It was the truth, he was waiting for next Saturday night, payday to tide him over.

She shuffled closer, "You could open a tab, have an account with me?" Her eyes scrutinising his as she spoke.

Jay was shy, looking away bashfully. He shook his head and laughed softly, "I'd rather not, do _either_ thing," He said as his gaze travelled to the floor, "thanks for the offer, but-" He looked around himself again, "-wouldn't want some heavies chasing me down and around this place."

She shrugged her shoulders and stood abruptly, "Most guys don't need to if they pay the fee."

"I love my girlfriend, don't need to pay for _it_ when she gives it willingly," He laughed at her and heard her walk away whilst firing some offensive expletives off.

She wasn't being quiet either, her pvc shorts were squeaking as she walked, and he could still hear each sharp footfall as her plastic high heels walked away. Black fishnets and a tight tank top, she was definitely a call girl, but she was alone. Unless her pimp was hiding in the shadows.

He bit his lip for sending her off, she was the only company around and at least having her talking and trying to garner his interest; the effect of it kept those horror filled visions away. The vision of seeing Cole falling to his death.

His heart had dropped a little when he realised that at 03:15 and in the dead of night, no one was going to be coming for him. By the looks of it, likely no one would be coming, at least tonight. The thought made Jay groan out loud as he sat there on a wooden bench in his work overalls. Head in hands, rubbing his face to keep sleep at bay.

The car just appeared from behind him, one with a petrol engine that was so quiet it made him jump when it pulled aside. He couldn't make out the occupants, it was too dark. But he listened in the semi dark and heard the sounds of an automatic window being used.

There was an unreadable expression on Max's shadow obscured face, not helped by the darkest of nights. "have you been waiting long?" Max inquired with a strict sounding tonal inclination. It was the type of voice that made Jay look down into the car as if he was being spoken to by a headteacher.

"Uh, well...sort of," Jay rubbed the back of his neck and looked around, before casting his gaze down the now deserted street. It was surreal, this street was heaving with people during daylight, well into the evening but now it was deserted. All he could hear was low tide and the turn over sounds of Max's vehicle. "Uhm..." A deep sigh ensued.

"Are you waiting for a lift?" Max inquired, slowly releasing his finger off the lever to his driver side window, "-You're more than welcome to stay with us tonight?"

Of course he was, Jay was desperately searching for that red and white station wagon. He had nothing personal against Max's hospitality, but there was something odd about the old guy that he just couldn't place. And, as he'd said to Nya, he really didn't want to stay another night. Call it a heightened sense of uncertainly and unease, Jay just wanted to go back home.

He'd felt like he'd already outstayed his welcome for those two nights that he was out of it. Yet, he still hesitated in the hopes that Zane or Lloyd would come hurtling towards his location at a steady 40 mph. But there was nothing there, no cars except for Max's. Just the sounds of his sedan engine, growling like the sleeping hounds of hell. "I'm so beat," He admitted, grumbling in the process, "I'd arranged for someone to meet me here at 3am!"

"But it's obvious that they _aren't_ coming?" She said with an annoyingly dramatic voice, a rather unhelpful response.

Jay's response was monosyllabic, "yeah!" came the curt reply. He rolled his eyes at her. The darkness of almost early morning helped to obscure how unimpressed he was with her unhelpful remark. He could blatantly see that for himself, "So you can't drop me off at Donald's?" Came his short and largely disinterested reply.

Max shook his head, not that Jay could see him in the darkness. "Why waste a perfect opportunity to stay in a warm _safe_ environment?" He stated with a genuine smile with some noticeable emphasis on the word ' _safe_ '.

Jay didn't feel particularly safe, he couldn't explain it either. The master of lightning just felt strung out and tingly. His arms were feeling heavy every so often a feeling similar to carrying lead weights around. Or like he'd been working out and hadn't done the correct wind down and cool off exercises to rid his muscles of the lactic acid.

Max had turned to look at the video store clerk and she seemed to be offering a seat for Jay to join them,she even opened the rear passenger door. The sweet looking girl with spiral ringlets and coffee coloured skin was more than pleasant on the eyes, Jay knew her as Nicole, that's all it said on her name badge. Jay had noticed that during his time on the shop floor that she'd gotten loads of unwanted attention from guys, both young and old. But she never seem to care, she just smiled sweetly.

None more so than when this supposed biker gang had come in the night before Cole had decided to ride off with them. The one biker dude with long blonde hair, the one that looked like a rocker or a Twisted Sister wannabe, he was the smoothest of the four. Nicole said his name was Paul and that he was actually quite sweet.

Jay, even though he didn't know their names personally, had only caught glimpses of them and their rebellious attitudes.

 _David_ , Nicole had said; he was the leader of their 'little gang', as _she_ called it. He was the silent type but the one who ultimately had the last word. Then there was Dwayne, the dark haired brooding one, she'd called him; the tall dark, dangerous and handsome one.

Jay snorted when she mentioned that Paul was good with his tongue, apparently she meant that he was good with words. He hadn't stifled his laughter though, they needed light banter on occasion.

Finally, she mentioned Marko. He was the shorter one with long curly blonde hair, the one who always wore a lopsided smug grin. Heckling and goading his brothers in their endeavours to woo whichever girl they pursued, cheering and leering.

"It'll be fine Jay, just for a couple of nights!" Max offered, "It'll be easier for you, plus-" He said as he pointed to the gas tank level, "We've only enough gas to get back to Ms Johnson's, so we can drop Nicole off first!"

Jay tried his hardest not to flat out sigh and put his foot down in a classic temper tantrum. He had heard and seen enough to tell him that it was too risky to walk back alone. Too many missing people with no plausible reason to where they had gone or what the police department were doing to find them. Not to mention, it was a long walk and he was solely reliant on Max to get him from A to B. He even had to be dropped off at work which was embarrassing. This was all because Cole had left him out in the wilderness for a good few hours until Max's wayward son had found him and taken him somewhere safe.

"Is it too far to Donald's house then, I mean, if you're taking Nicole home?" He asked, considering Donald lived over 12 miles from the Coast.

Max raised his eyebrows, "I'm not forcing you to do anything you don't want. Just offering you the easier option, the only way!" He almost looked disappointed when he spoke, and his tone was overly sympathetic verging on belittling.

Jay took one final glimpse down the street after looking at his Casio digital watch, it was 03:35. Turning back towards the smug grin of Max and his younger female companion and not seeing any direct danger, Jay bit his lip, "Sure, I'll stay with you _tonight_." He said, opening the rear passenger door and climbing in next to Nicole.

 _'I better not regret this.'_

The first thing he noticed was the sheer amount of _his_ flyers that had been obviously collected, but not by Max; he'd been working. It made him smile that his brothers cared so much.

Of course they cared for him, they were tight, always had been.

"Sure, lets drop you off Nicole," Max said in his trademark soft tone. He placed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose and winked at Jay, waiting for him to buckle up before pulling off painfully slow.

* * *

Cole had arrived at the cave in record time, placing his bike up against the part of the cliff that had risen from the fissure when the ground had opened up over 80 or so years ago. He was curious and when he stepped foot inside because there was no one around, the place was deserted.

He grabbed a baton from the empty barrel nearest the entrance and, using his own lighter he lit it and allowed the whole thing to ignite before attempting to walk into the impossibly dark cave entrance.

"STAR?" Cole shouted into the darkness. Waving his burning baton around squinting his eyes in the semi darkness, "Star?" He repeated with some desperation to his gravelly voice.

He was vaguely aware that his voice sounded anxious. This whole night had unsettled him to a certain degree. But then, he was immensely relieved that David and the others were nowhere to be found because they'd likely make fun of his anxieties.

Furthermore, it was strange for Cole to enter this place without them. This was David's so called 'den'. Him and the other guys lived here yet Cole never remembered seeing any beds. Just swathes and swathes of torn fabric that hung pathetically, like torn drapes from an abandoned home or haberdashery. The drapes hung and hid a variety of strange things behind them.

He waked past the hanging drapes and proceeded to light the barrels. Regardless of _them_ not being here he _hoped_ that one person would be. And, that one person would tell him what he needed to know. Because there was no way on earth that he would believe the fact that he was a vampire, based on what his brothers thought.

Cole had walked over to the only existing cabinet. He found it, found the jewel encrusted bottle that had caused the inhuman feelings. Whatever was in this bottle had made him want to drink Lloyd's blood. Removed his gravity _supernaturally._

The master of earth opened the bottle and took a sniff. He closed his eyes and savoured it and at that moment he had to use so much of his self restraint to stop himself from downing the contents in one go.

Damn, what ever was inside the bottle, it smelt absolutely divine to Cole. Like an intoxicating fluid that made him want more, an addictive thing.

A feeling, a niggling thought. Cole was sure that it was this bottle that had started the whole thing. Taking one more sniff he knew it and he threw it as hard as he could to his side. The jewel encrusted bottle had smashed on contact with the stone fountain but he didn't care, he only wanted answers. Cole wanted her, he wanted Star.

"STAR?" He said louder with more desperation behind it.

She'd been sitting next to the sleeping young boy that Cole had finally found out the name of. "I'm over here Cole," She said in a soft calming voice, coming over to embrace him as quickly as she could.

Hearing and seeing the confusion and uncertainty in his face. It was so clear to see, he was scared, unsure with what was happening to his body. Something that was now, so completely out of his control. But she knew and wasn't even sure how to tell him or how to break it to him that he'd been duped into joining this exclusive club. She had warned him, told him not to, but David and the others had goaded him, a peer pressure tactic and it had rubbed off on the usually stoic master of earth.

"Cole!" She moaned his name as she closed in on him, "I can't tell you..."

"Star, what's..."

"I don't know how to help you..." She interrupted. Her voice sounded so broken, her face was so full of remorse and sadness.

He took her by the arms, pulling her into his chest, "what's happening to me, Star?"

He lifted her chin, to look her in the eyes. He could tell she was keeping something from him, because her eyes were darting all over the place and she was refusing to hold his stern glare. "What's happening to me?" He repeated, quietly. Now he could feel her cushioning against his firm chest.

"I-I can't..." She whispered out and grasped his face gently.

It wasn't supposed to be a romantic embrace.

But the moment took hold of both. And, the moment his lips touched hers, the beast in him roared it's approval and he slowly devoured her. It wasn't really the answer he'd come for but it was a start.

He carried her to the bed and lay her gently on it. His fingers trailing her shoulders gently, "You sure you want this?" he asked as he undid her laced up white corset top, revealing her just for his eyes.

She nodded, there were no more words needed but she looked into his dark assessing eyes as they alone undressed her to bare flesh.

Cole just watched her as she ran her hands over his toned pectorals and further down his abdominals to his strengthened obliques that marked out that tempting sexy V where the smallest line of dark hair was visible from his navel downwards. These particular muscle groups, he'd worked hard to maintain and to feel her hands all over him made something deep inside him growl with male satisfaction.

Such an occasion called for no more words, just the observing as they removed each other's clothes, tossing them in a pile at the side of the bed.

She could see that his naked flesh was the colour of cinnamon, and the heat seemed to blast from him. Star could make out the white lines of scars that seemed to adorn his body or across the proud column of his throat.

Then once freed of their fabric restraints, Cole took no time in devouring her mouth again with his tongue. Moving slowly and purposefully down, before worshipping her body inch by inch and this time he wouldn't hold back, he would take her into the night.

* * *

 **Sorry, realised that I missed some pasted sections.**


	27. Saturday early

_**Saturday early morning sunrise**_

 _ **Location: Widow Johnson's home**_

"You used too much again!" Skylor stated with a shocked expression.

"He'll be fine," Another female countered with a half shrug of nonchalance, her face devoid of any human emotion.

"Are ya so sure of that Tox?" Sky looked at him and cringed at his glassy eyed stare. He was unblinking, un-moving but still very much alive and smiling in a euphoric sort of way whilst drooling and mumbling sweet inconsequential nonsense.

"He can sleep it off like last time!" She argued with an an upturned grin.

"Wow, you're so cold. When did you become this heartless killer, Toxikita?"

"When _she_ turned me mostly, _SKYLOR,_ " came her snide venomous retort, she flicked her green hair from her field of vision and tossed the used teaspoon to the side.

 _Never a truer word spoken in jest,_ Skylor thought.

Sky knew who Toxikita was referring to and she didn't need to utter the name out loud because everyone in here knew that _she_ was referring to the matriarch of the nest.

 **Ms Johnson** or the **Black Widow** or even just the **Widow Johnson** , she went by all three and wore the titles proudly. Not caring what others thought of her it wasn't like anyone came calling anyway, during the daylight hours. No one could get past her dogs anyway, they paroled around her house until dusk and then they ventured inside the house when the sun went down.

Skylor's southern drawl was softly spoken as she verbalised her response, "yeah, I guess I can sympathise with ya'll on that fact," She stroked the hair from his face again. "Still, this doesn't excuse the fact that he was out of it for two days because you overdosed him last time." She dabbed at the young man's forehead, "God, Toxi, you're _so blasé_ about how much you're giving him, like he's your own personal plaything."

"Hey, he kinda is-" she chuckled playfully, "-this is a learning curve for me. I don't use this stuff as much as my boyfriend did. Too... _toxic_ ," she chuckled.

"And evidently, neither does he..." Skylor said, pointing at his completely strung out face, "Well, I mean he _does_ now!"

"Sorry to be blunt girls but you're either going to need to kill him or dump him somehow. He's going the same way as Ash and he's going downhill fast."

Both young women had turned to face the newest females who had walked in, one of whom had bright purple hair, "He's not that bad yet _Chamille_ , besides, Max wants no trails, remember?" She removed the tourniquet, "-I quite like him though, might keep him around a little longer."

"And no trails means we get to keep him around for longer." Toxi stated, "He's almost there anyway, just another day should do it."

"Suck him dry them, get a hit yourself," Chamille urged and held up a limp arm, "-not like Max cares about him is it?" She said as she sank her own teeth in and her eyes rolled back. "Nicole, you want some?"

"No," Nicole had quickly replied to Chamille's rather tempting offer. But she refused in this instance and instead had attempted to cover him up whilst he lay on the bed, "I reckon you should leave him alone to recuperate, otherwise he'll be a junkie if you keep this up."

"That's the idea isn't it?" Toxikita replied with a smug grin.

Nicole gaped at that notion, "you're getting him hooked?" Her interest was piqued, albeit at the expense of feeling a huge concern for the young man she had worked with yet knew so little about. Well, she knew he was cared about and she knew he had a girlfriend but that was all.

"It's what she wants, she wants to turn him...eventually," Toxita stated, "a blood thirsty vampire with an addiction will be unstoppable, not to mention...we've got two of his brothers already."

"Two?" Nicole questioned, "I thought it was just the dark haired one, and he was turned by David!"

"No," Toxi, shook her head slowly, "We got the brown haired one too. That ignorant prick has been drinking stuff that doesn't belong to him. Bet _you_ can bring him here Skylor?" She asked, testing to see if she was up to the task.

"Course I can do it. I can use my feminine wiles to draw him in to the nest. It's child's play right?"

"You may as well make a delivery too," Toxi winked at her, "-considering the fact that _old McDonald_ will be out of his favourite chilled beverage."

Nicole watched as Chamille wiped her mouth and left his arm to dangle limply by the side of the bed, "What will you do when you bring them both here, if you can get them here that is?"

Toxi and Chamille smiled at each other then at the newest vampiress; Nicole, "we'll turn them into full vampires of course," Toxi stated.

"They have to bite, to taste human blood in order for the change to take effect," Chamille reasoned.

"Well who were you planning on using?" Nicole asked apprehensively as she watched Skylor bite into his arm, "-whose blood will they drink to turn them into full vampires?"

"His," They said in unison and all pointed at the young man as he lay drooling on the bed.

At least he was talking now, not that any of what he was muttering was making any sense. Most of the words he was verbalising was of a hardcore nature, both crude and incredibly offensive expletives.

Lucky for him that he was slurring his words and his mad angry ramblings were being ignored, he was trying his best to insult all of them. If he'd been in the right state of mind he would have cussed at them until the cows came home, or until hell froze over. But right now he was practising and biding his time whilst enjoying seeing rainbows and the kaleidoscopic effects each time he moved his eyes a fraction.

 _'This is wrong, this is so wrong...help me!'_

* * *

The master of earth had woken up as naked as the day he was born, hardly surprising really considering what they had been doing a few hours ago. Their clothes were scattered on the floor after falling off the bed during the nights' sordid activities.

"Star?" He whispered softly, placing a kiss on her chest.

"Yes," she mumbled and twisted her head to place a kiss on his cheek in the process.

"I know said I wasn't going to mention David or his supposed plans, but-" His bandaged hand travelled further down her body, "I want to know that my brother's will be safe?"

His arms were still wrapped around her as her back snuggled into his warm firm chest. One arm was still under the natural curve of her neck, the other arm and hand was grasping her hip firmly as he began to move against her. It was the hand that Nanook bit yesterday.

"I-I can't tell you, until it's right. Until the time is right."

He wasn't sure exactly what had roused him from his pleasure senses. Her reluctance to talk about this huge issue that he felt like he was facing alone or the fact that she knew but couldn't say anything. He slowed his movements, despite her protestations and groans of disapproval, "I need to know, Star?"

"This isn't a joke, I need to know what's happening, Star...I can't hurt th-"

He heard something like an echoed chuckling and felt a tremendous cold breeze afterwards that derailed his train of thought and faltered his movements entirely. Whatever had caused the odd noise, had been and gone in the same instant. The lack of seeing anything of importance made him feel like he was imagining things, maybe thinking that it was a daydream or his mind was playing tricks on him...just like last night.

Cole had rubbed his bleary eyes with his left hand. It was a half arsed attempt to wake himself, at least enough to face the proverbial calm before the storm that he knew he'd be getting today when he got back. First thing he noticed when he squinted were that the barrels weren't lit, the flames had died down in the early hours because no wood had been replaced. It wasn't cold in here though, Cole was laying in her bed with the most sparse blanket over the both of them and even that thin sliver of material only covered their hips.

He narrowed his eyes and could see the smallest amount of light peeking through the gap in the cave wall and, as he listened, he could also hear the sounds of waves crashing against the cliff walls outside. Instead of getting up to look around to find the source of the possible disturbance, Cole turned onto his right elbow and kissed Star's exposed shoulder. He chose to luxuriate in the warmth of her bed with his body pressed up against her back. This was a luxury he hadn't known or felt for so long and he growled seductively when she pressed into him again.

Cole stared at the blood stained bandage and began to unwrap the makeshift dressing to inspect for damage or the possibility that he'd need antibiotics for it.

"What the...?" He said as quietly as he could, marvelling at his skin.

There was nothing there, at all.

His skin was immaculate with no signs at all that a dog had bitten him. No scar, no nasty red inflamed markers. The only trace of blood was the dried remnants that adorned the bandage from last night.

* * *

Lloyd had arrived for work early that day, but he was still a bag of literal nerves.

"Edgar, I need to talk to you, in private, " Lloyd urged the minute he got through the doors.

"Where ever Eddie goes I go too, can't have one without the other."

And of course being that Edgar was a twin, his brother Allan didn't go far without him. The dark haired twin soon joined in on the discussion.

"It's about my brother, well brothers _plural_ ," Lloyd said quietly, he was attempting to whisper but he was unsure why as the shop wasn't even open. They were still setting up the shelves. "-the one I spoke to you about last night and uh the one that we thought was missing and now another."

"Yeah, heard you mention the grouchy ' _new romantic'_ was a bloodsucker?" Allan queried with a gangster type snarl.

Lloyd, wasn't intimidated in the slightest, "Cole's not a _'new romantic'_ he's more into 'electronica' than _that,_ " he quickly rubbed his face in frustration, "-Anyway, that's besides the point I'm trying to make here. Look, Cole was the one I spoke to you about and I did mention _that_ because it was based on what this comic book said and on what we saw with our own eyes."

Edgar was wearing a very strange looking Rambo outfit today, he looked like he was fixing for a fight. "Here's what ya do; go get yourself a good sharp stake and drive it right through his heart... _simple!_ " He said it like he was uncaring about family other than his own even gave a damned good example of how hard to drive it home through the chest cavity.

Lloyd shuddered, "I-I can't do that, he's my brother," a stupefied expression now on his face. There was no way in hell that he would even attempt to drive a stake through Cole's heart.

"Well, you best get yourself a garlic T-shirt buddy or it's your funeral!" Allan finished but Edgar nudged him gently.

"Look, we've been aware that there's been some very serious vampire activity in this town for a long time but the authorities won't believe us or do a damn thing about it," Edgar replied with a half shrug.

Allan was busy unloading the new delivery from the nearest shelf, "Santa Carla's become a haven for the undead," he stated with a smug grin, "-a matter of fact, we're almost certain that ghouls and werewolves occupy high positions at city hall."

Lloyd raised his eyebrows at that strange remark, he couldn't really believe that hairy creatures would walk around in broad daylight. But then again, how else could you explain the sheer number of missing. No bones, no blood, NO BODIES!

"Yeah, kill your brother, you'll feel loads better and, there'll be one less vampire to deal with in this shit hole," Allan added.

"NO, look guys, I'm sure that Cole's not a full bloodsucker," Lloyd hissed, exasperated as he withdrew the comic book from his back jeans pocket, "It says here that if you kill the head vampire that all half vampires will return to normal." He found the page and pointed to it, "-and I'm not killing my brother, there's gotta be another way surely?"

"So does your brother know who the head vampire is?" Edgar enquired with an upturned brow which was partially obscured by his red bandanna.

"No, I-I don't think so," Lloyd stammered nervously.

"Then you'll have to kill him. And if you don't, _we will,_ " Allan said without a hint of humour nor sympathy.

"Really guys? I'm not killing Cole. And anyways, after reading this comic in detail-" he said and cringed inside as to what he was uttering out loud.

"-I believe he's not a full vampire," Lloyd took out his wallet and flicked it to a photo of his team mates, "Uh, also last night we found out that Jay is alive and well, kinda thought he might have been Cole's first victim," Lloyd was beaming as he said it, although the smile was largely a nervous one and quite obviously fake in the vicinity of these two inquisitive yet un-trusting souls.

"What are you wanting us to do then, sit and wait for him to kill for real?" Allan asked as he looked at the photo, "You realise once he gets his first taste, he'll become one of them?" He stated without even caring that the missing one had returned.

Lloyd shook his head, "No, I...how would I know that, seriously? You can't write these things and expect people to believe them."

"We didn't write them doofus!" Edgar grinned, "-anyway, where's the ' _ **dead in absentia** '_ then?"

Lloyd frowned, "Wh what?"

"Missing presumed dead, where's _this_ one been hiding?" Eddie repeated, pointing on Jay's picture.

"Oh Jay, ya mean?" Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "Nya said something about him staying with Max or at Ms Johnson's house?"

Lloyd didn't miss the sharp intake of breath that both brothers gave at the mention of her name.

"Look, this is cute an all, but we run a tight ship here," Edgar said as he thrust the wallet back into Lloyd's hand, "You called this number last night because you had a problem that needs sortin, now you can either deal with it yourself or we can help you get rid of the pests!"

"For a small price!" Allan stated quietly, although Edgar held him back somewhat.

"What are you suggesting?" Lloyd questioned, feeling like he was being slowly cornered.

"We deal with this one first, El Vampiro," Edgar said as he pointed to Cole, "who was the other you were worrying about?"

Lloyd rubbed his face and pointed to Kai, " _ **deal with**_ , I'd prefer you try and _help_ me find the head vampire rather than _stake_ any of my brothers."

"Seriously Lloyd, who's this other one you're asking about?" Ed repeated, whilst he wheeled the comic book cart out to the shop front and opened the doors.

"Him, Kai... _possibly!_ " Lloyd shrugged and stared at the picture, "-is it possible that you can become a vampire _without_ being bitten, the comic doesn't tell me that?"

Allan and Edgar looked at each other and smiled, Edgar was the only one to talk, "It can be either, being bitten or drinking the blood of the head vampire."

"Bottled blood?" Lloyd asked.

"It doesn't look like blood smart ass," Allan quipped,"The poor sap gets duped into drinking this shit because it's disguised in a bottle with colouring to hide the fact that it contains their cursed blood."

Lloyd's face dropped, "A bottle?"

Like the ones that Kai keeps helping himself to?

From Donalds own personal supply in the fridge.

The one bottle he said had tasted like 'off' root beer?

* * *

 **ETA: The sound track to the Lost Boys can be listened to on YouTube and the song that would have accompanied part of this chapter and the one before would be 'cry little sister'**

 **Followed by INXS and 'good times'**


	28. Chapter 28

_**Saturday afternoon**_

 _ **Location: Video store, Santa Carla**_

"What the actual Fu-" Kai fumed at the video store clerk. Fumed was a polite word, he was actually blowing up in her face, "Where is he then?" The master of fire was waving his hands around like a mad man. Most of the regular video store patrons had left in a hurry, others had stayed behind to watch the spectacle unfold, standing back respectfully so as to avoid any backlash.

Zane, being the one who was usually the 'go to guy' for his calm demeanour and exemplary skills of diffusion, had to physically restrain the master of fire, pulling him back as he continued to glare at the meek curly haired girl behind the counter.

Her face was unreadable throughout. And her voice gave away no clues to her forced deception. "He doesn't work here anymore," Nicole stated monosyllabic, with a nervous disposition that would match any guilty criminal in a police line up.

"This is ridiculous," Kai threw his hands up in the air like a petulant child, for added emphasis, "-she's _obviously_ lying, Zane."

"I think we should..." Zane started but was cut off by Kai's angry tirade that was still running its course.

Kai shot a look of disbelief at the female, "-so, you're telling me you haven't seen him since what Thursday, you're kidding me, right?" He was almost at the point of climbing over the counter with the lack of answers she was providing, "Do you think this is a game?"

Zane frowned at her expression and body language. Every movement she gave off was synonymous with a lie and the withholding of the truth. For starters; Zane noticed that her eyes were darting all over the place, then she was playing with her hair even her fingers were being nibbled on. "Kai," The calm master of ice hissed in his ear, "Not here, we can come back _later_." The latter said clearly under his breath so that the clerk and her male assistant wouldn't hear.

But the master of fire was still glaring at her, his hazel eyes were fixed onto her brown irises, "you think this is over, it's far from that...I want answers otherwise we're going to the police with this. Don't think we won't."

He kept his finger pointed at her, _specifically_ at her, because the other assistant was near on losing control of his bladder and hadn't said a damned thing to ease the tension or relay any new information pertaining to Jay. No, he'd just stood back and watched it all unfold, not even stepping up to the plate once. _So much for male bravado._

"KAI, please!" Zane urged, he was still unsure of her intentions or why she was choosing to purposefully hide this information. Maybe Kai was right. Maybe they needed to go back to the Sheriff, because something was most definitely wrong here. Gradually, he hoisted Kai away from the startled cashier before he had a chance to throttle her. Remarkably, in Zane's opinion, she stood her ground when threatened by Kai's brash attitude, although her hand looked to be two seconds away from dialling 911 and that was something Zane wanted to avoid.

He mused on how typical that would be to have to police force show up. It would be more likely that the police or Sheriff would turn up for a little disagreement involving a store and rowdy customer but at the same time they'd shrug their shoulders at the vast amount of missing persons. The numbers of which were increasing day by day.

"I am sorry, Miss..." Zane grunted as he heaved Kai off of the remaining section of counter. "-our mistake," he mumbled and hastily pulled Kai from the store. He watched from the corner of his eye as the female clerk started to speak to a young man. It was strange, suspicious activity to Zane and Kai knew it too. Her eyes and expression were almost calculative in nature, like she knew more than she was letting on.

In his heart, Kai knew that Nya wouldn't have made it up but heck, Jay was initially missing for just over 48 hours. Then somehow, _miraculously_ , he just reappeared in his work attire at midnight; a little under two days ago and his overall appearance made him look like he'd been dragged up a ravine backwards... Something was definitely off, something was definitely a foot here. It was just a case of getting to the bottom of it, and at the same time getting to the bottom of what was wrong with Cole because the two were more than likely linked. After all, Jay vanished when Cole went off with those other men.

"I'm okay Zane-" Kai said as he snatched his hoodie out of Zane's impossibly strong grasp, "-I can walk myself ya know."

"I am sorry, Kai. You cannot afford to let yourself become over emotional like that," Zane released him and stood back a little.

Kai didn't respond to those calming double edged words, nor the fact that he'd been given free use of his body again.

Zane continued on "-I feel, or more likely, I know that something is a little suspicious in that store...but this situation now requires for us to be surreptitious from here on out."

"Agreed," Kai huffed and waited for Zane to walk around the car to the drivers side.

Both got into the station wagon once the thing had cooled down to a manageable heat. The old thing was sounding decidedly clunky this afternoon as Zane started the engine. He checked the rear view mirror and noticed a back door to the store. The locks wouldn't be too difficult to break, and repair after that. He wasn't really wanting to cause damage for Max because, as far as Zane was concerned; Max was just the old man that owned the place. And finally, they just wanted answers from his store because surely, this store couldn't be as clean and innocent as it looked from the outside?

"Do you not think that this whole thing is highly suspicious?"

"Suspicious?...More likely that Nya led us on a wild goose chase?" He regretted it as soon as he said it, dropping his head in shame ans he kicked the back of his pumps, "-uhm, I'm sorry Zane, I didn't mean that..."

Zane gave him the time to recollect his thoughts. He didn't want to interrupt Kai mid rant, he'd already done that once this holiday and Kai had almost flipped his lid at that time too, "take your time, Kai," he motioned, "This is not easy for any of us...what with what is happening to our brothers, and Jay."

"Zane, I just find it all a bit weird..."

"In what way, define weird?"

Kai raised an eyebrow, it hovered, questioningly, "Uh Jay vanishing again, mostly."

"...It's just that, well, Nya saw him last and before her it was Cole. Seems a little _odd_ that even after both say that they saw the blue blur, he vanishes _yet_ again." He sighed, closing the car door and placing his belt. "This whole place is weird, it gives me the creeps. Jay's apparently as elusive as the four leaf clover!"

"There could be a perfectly plausible explanation for it Kai?" Zane offered.

"What the way I feel or Jay?"

"Jay, actually...both" Zane stated. He was signalling to manoeuvre and waiting for someone to let him onto the busy stretch of road. "What are you thinking Kai?"

"That he didn't have a job here to begin with?"

Zane was in typical safe driver mode, "No, I am fairly sure he worked here. I was here when he had an informal meeting and was offered the position after a thirty three minute interview."

"I was being..." Kai shook his head, "It doesn't matter. Look, we need to speak to Nya again."

"And Cole?" Zane suggested.

"I'm not going near him until he can prove he isn't going to bite any of us..."

"And just how do you propose that, we really do not have a choice in the matter?" Zane asked as he pulled off cautiously, "-besides, have you bought a metallic gag, actually do not answer that. That I would rather not know."

Kai scrunched up his face in mock disgust, " _No_ , just maybe we can tie him up and stuff,"

"That is a little barbaric, No?"

"What? Zane are you listening to yourself," Kai was subconsciously licking his lips as a cyclist passed close to his passenger side door. "Should I remind you that he tried to bite a chunk out of Lloyd, almost got the dog too."

"The dog?" Zane released a sigh, "It was a moment of weakness."

"Moment of weakness, who has those?" The proximity of the cyclist to Kai's side was obscenely close, he could have grabbed her and licked her all over. Until he shook that worrying thought from his mind, "God dammit, I'm so hungry. Can we have steak tonight?"

"Excuse me?" Zane said, waiting patiently for the lights to change.

"Steak?"

"What?" Zane mentioned again, turning his head slowly to watch Kai leering and drooling out of the window like a slobbering dog. Not that Kai was panting or anything, he was exhibiting some very extraordinary traits that didn't seem to stem from his own psyche. At least not from any part of Kai that Zane had ever noticed before.

"Mmmm, juicy!"

"Wow," Zane exclaimed, he wasn't entirely sure what was going on in Kai's head at that exact moment but whatever it was, it wasn't healthy or normal. "Kai, that was a very sudden and intense change of subject, even for you!" He noted, turning his head slightly to observe Kai's increasingly peculiar behaviour. "Something you wish to share with me?"

"Uhm, no...just come over...hungry."

"Indeed, you have," Zane noted, "-that small fact could also be attested by the excess salivation you are exuding whilst you look at that female to your right."

"Wh-what?" Kai mumbled, still staring out the window at her.

Zane released a deep sigh, Kai was not listening to him at all. He was in his own world, somehow guided by hunger, not that he was going to be able to get his fill of food from a human. Zane had been warned of how grouchy a man could get when he was hungry, the same could be said of Cole and Jay too. But this was just bizarre and quite surreal to witness. Now Kai was acting strange, well stranger than he normally did, and Zane had noticed these slight changes a little over twenty hours ago. He'd said nothing, of course. He'd been more preoccupied with helping Cole to come back to terra firma and then talking about it in great depth than he had been to notice Kai's mood fluctuating when he got back from picking Nya up from her shift at the diner.

Still, to placate the master of fire, Zane kept up the premise, "-Kai, we can ask Donald, I am sure he has some Porterhouse and T-Bones in the deep freeze." He tested the waters, "Besides, frozen steaks and those that are aged provide the best flavour."

"Mmm, nothing fresh and just killed then?" Kai licked his lips again at the image of such succulent juicy uncooked steaks dripping down his mouth. Again he rubbed his face vigorously to remove the thought that just seemed to erupt from nowhere. He almost felt like he was feeling some of what Cole had felt and the thought shook him to the core. "Actually Zane, you're right...frozen would be b-better."

"Kai, are you alright? You are acting different..." Zane stated without a hint of irony. He was the epitome of different but everyone had grown used to him.

Zane had noted that the master of fire was wafting himself and simultaneously wiping at his mouth whilst looking at the cyclist next to him. Zane swore that if Kai was any closer to her he would have slid out of the window and began the startings of human sexual interactions judging on the fact he was staring at her lustfully, or was there something else because he was not looking at her face. His gaze was glued to her jugular vein and carotid artery. "KAI?" He shouted a little too loudly, before toning down his voice somewhat. "This is not acceptable, these light sequences are taking far too long to change?" He muttered under his breath.

"Mmm, yeah?" The master of fire had stopped wiping his mouth for a few seconds, his tongue had uncovered something impossibly sharp and he quickly wound his window back up. Now he was looking dead ahead, "s-sorry, I think it's the stress of losing J-Jay and Cole..."

"Oh, you are back here with me now are you?" Zane questioned, pulling off slowly as the light eventually changed. "You seemed to have zoned out for a moment?"

"Tired, I guess..." Kai squinted when the sun poked through the cloud cover. It bathed the station wagon in rays of sweltering hot sun, until the clouds gobbled it up again, "Maybe it's being so close to the sea that's why I'm tired?"

"Hmm, maybe when we get back, you can have a lie down and I shall bring you some relaxants and a hot chocolate," Zane said as he turned the car onto the winding country lane, "Nya and myself will keep an eye on Cole. I mean, it is not as difficult as you mention...he has spent the entire morning sleeping in his room. I doubt that he has even left his room since he came back."

"That's because he's a fricking creature of the night..." Kai grumbled and slunk further down into his seat, "Been screwing her, he wreaks of perfume and stuff...lipstick pfft!"

Not that Zane was suspicious of every member of his family but Kai's behaviour was perilously close to how Cole had been. Minus the obvious floating sky high or the lack of a bodily reflection. However, there was the moodiness and the fact that Zane had had to literally drag Kai out of bed at 2pm today. He was squinting his eyes in the day, so much that he shielded his irises and pupils from the midday sun. It wasn't even that sunny, there was some serious cloud cover but even that was too bright.

The rest of the journey had been mostly small talk because Kai seemed to stop commenting, he was mumbling on occasion and his hand remained covering his mouth.

Both Zane and Kai had travelled the remainder in almost silence.

* * *

Depending on Kai's current behaviour, things would be liable to change at the flick of a switch. But regardless of this, their first and initial plan had been to come back after nightfall for a little breaking and entering with the brothers three Kai, Zane and Lloyd.

The only real reason for this was due to Zane having a strong feeling that the video store had to be hiding something. It all looked friendly and neontastic from the outside. From the inside it was all translucent perspex and bright garish colours that made the customers want to come in and peruse all that was on offer. A wall full of tv's on the furthest wall, nothing really looked out of place on this ground floor. But they _were_ hiding something, and this place had to herald some clues to Jay's repeated disappearances.

Someone had to know something.

* * *

Back at Donald's homestead, the old man was tinkering with his car. The car that never saw daylight because it was always hidden under a tarpaulin 364 days of the year. He was being quiet, obviously deep in thought as he changed the spark plugs and wiped each on his suede apron before placing them back into their allotted slots.

"Eh, ya back are ya?" He hollered with a face and expression that could have rivalled that of the grinch, minus the bad teeth, green fur and further penchant for mischief.

The old man may have seemed ignorant to what was happening around him but he was always aware and his hearing was still perfect, "I heard about Jay," he said and finally turned around, "I'm sorry, I wish there was more I could do for ya...other than what you've already done, that is."

Obviously meant in reference to the facts that they had reported him as **missing** because that's all they could do. Report and wait.

"It is fine, in a way." Zane stated monosyllabic, "Nya claimed she saw him two nights ago."

He lied, It wasn't fine. Everything was falling apart. Cole was a half vampire and somehow Kai was heading that way too. Jay was ex communicado and had vanished off the face of Santa Carla and Lloyd was untrusting of anybody except for a select few of his kin, Nya and the Frog Brothers.

"Misako is due to arrive today," Zane said, changing the subject and the subsequent awkward silence, "-she should be here in a a few hours."

Donald had stood upright, now with a huge grin on his face, "-I'll make her a good meal then. I reckon she'll be hungry after that commute?"

"Eh Lloyd, what's her favourite food? she like a bit a chilli? or is she a good ol homegrown corn lovin girl?"

Lloyd cringed at Donald's over bearing nature. He knew that the old man had a thing for Ms Johnson, who ever that was, but his mum was strictly off limits. "She likes most food Don- Donald," He was standing behind the car that Donald was working on. It was the only thing he could do to make himself feel worthwhile rather than wiling away inside the house...feeling like a failure at having let his team down.

"She like wine too?" Donald asked.

"I think she prefers water, or Sake." Lloyd suggested. Both of which were clear and pure and neither could be passed off as anything else. "Zane, tonight? You still good?" He still knew of the plans, he'd been the one that suggested both Kai and Zane scope out the video place to figure out why Jay hadn't come back home.

Zane nodded.

"You find anything?" Lloyd asked, hopefully as he joined Zane's side. His green eyes were searching for the answers, looking for any hint of a clue that Jay was back with them.

"It was..." Zane paused, "...I shall tell you later, Lloyd as there are things we need to discuss behind closed doors."

Throwing a nice dinner was the last thing on their minds. Getting Jay back was the priority, then helping Cole after that. Wining and dining was most definitely not on Lloyd's list, even if it was for his mum. And if the majority of assembled ninja would attest, they would certainly have preferred to have been out looking for him tonight. Rather than sitting around a table and listening to some old coot talk about living in this big old house on his own.

So the plan still stood.

After dinner tonight, all loaded up with as much garlic as they could bear. They would take a trip to the video store and begin their close surveillance on the video store that belonged to Max, and this time they would get their answers.


	29. Sunday Boardwalk

**Right, back to the dark haired brooding ninja of bloodlust**

 _ **HUGE EDIT...SORRY people...in timed order to avoid confusion...I've removed the Jay chapter until later, apologies.**_

 _ **In case anyone was wondering: this chapter comprises two days. Misako arrived roughly a day and a half later after Nya finished her shift...the same shift that she had seen Jay.**_

 _ **So the latter part of this chapter alludes to the fact that it's now almost three days. Five in total since he's been missing...**_

 **Oh, cos, I'm a child that grew up in the 80's baby, I wrote this to Alphaville and their song Forever young. For the feels mostly, but then a vampire, never ages, so it just kinda stuck.**

 **Thanks to RandomDragon, BunnyTheNinja and Master of Cupcakes XD**

* * *

 _ **Saturday evening flashback**_

 _ **Location: Donald's home**_

Cole had woken up at sun down. And since that time, he had been trying to make it up to Lloyd that he would do all in his power to find clues pertaining to Jay. Furthermore, he'd promised to keep his fangs away from everyone in between.

The master of energy had accepted, begrudgingly, though with Zane acting as the mediator, he soon accepted and chose to wear a garlic necklace, as some sort or strategic deterrent.

The awkward meeting was further interrupted by the appearance of Misako, for she had walked in and thrown her arms around her son with such vigour Cole was sure she'd have tried to crush the garlic cloves too. Lloyd still hadn't managed to tell her the reason he was favouring wearing the smelly onion, she had questioned it though. He even had it under his pillow, in case his mother took it off him as he slept.

Moving on from that, he had spent the night before with Star as well, though she still hadn't fully told him anything of real value. Just the same old "I can't tell you," nonsense. And the obligatory type of relations that you would expect with two young lovers. So, since getting back at 5am that morning, Cole had been sleeping. It was true, he adapted well to this whole sleeping during the day, like a pro.

He was so good at it that Kai thought, if Cole could control his cravings, that maybe he could consider applying for a night job. But the earth master quickly shrugged the idea off because, still being in the honeymoon period with Star, he was with her as much as he could be, strangely enough not just for closeness. This being, when he wasn't out dozing in the car whilst Zane, Lloyd and Nya continued to look for any clues.

They hadn't found anything at the video store either. It turned out to be 'cleaner than clean' which was dubious, even the tax forms were up to date and the accounting was spot on. Zane had noted the odd few late videos and customers who had refused to pay the fines, but nothing on the owner nor his staff. They were clean, the store was clean, the only thing that wasn't clean, were the signs of breaking and entry, which Zane had to repair in super quick time to avoid any local security being made aware of their illegal entry.

That had been a long night and another dead end, but these leads were being ticked off, slowly but surely.

* * *

 _ **Sunday evening**_

 ** _Location: seating area Donald's home_**

"Who would like garlic bread to go with their chilli tonight?" Misako called from the kitchen.

A few groans could be heard from the living room. "Yes, uh Mom," Lloyd said, almost too quickly, His eagerness to fill his system with as much garlic as possible was making him a difficult person to sit next to, let alone sleep in the same room as.

"You really like your garlic don't you Lloyd?" Misako smiled, shaking her head, "Just like your father too, he was a connoisseur for the stronger tastes. Though, I rather think he favoured wasabi and garlic fried rice."

It was Misako's second night here, though she insisted on causing no trouble to their current sleeping arrangements, she had chosen to shack up in the local motel. She wanted to feel worthwhile and that she wasn't being a hindrance to Donalds' already 'fit to bursting' abode. So she had joined Zane and Donald in the kitchen. Taking her individual place at the only work surface that still had untouched ingredients. She knew from experience that Zane worked to a certain timed perfection. So, typically, he was measuring and dicing the salad and dip sticks for the meal. Amazingly, they were all the same size. The blonde haired guy was a complete perfectionist, OCD with it too.

"What about you two, will you be eating with us tonight?" She asked, poking her head round the corner, baguette and buttered knife in hand. "Nya, you look a bit peaky."

"Can I help at all," Nya said standing up, feeling lost. "I need something to do." Rather than wait for an answer, she padded her way into the large kitchen with any plates and scattered crockery she could find.

"Of course," Misako beamed, never one to turn down an offer of help. Cooking for this many ravenous eaters required a considerable amount of time, money and food.

Kai watched her go, he could see the pain in Nya's eyes...He knew she wasn't letting go, this was despite him and Zane speaking to her, to state that it may have been her mind playing tricks on her, to help her through the grieving process of which they were all slowly travelling through with varied levels of heartbreak and depression.

"I'll have a small bit Misako, uh please," Kai said, turning quickly to face her, "no garlic bread though,"

"So uh, Cole," Kai turned to face his brother who now seemed to favour sunglasses in the house as his new fashion accessory, his laid back attitude didn't seem to be grating on the fire ninja anymore. Though the spiky haired young man was starting to see the appeal of sunglasses, his eyes were irritated by something. He wasn't sure if it was the garlic bread that Donald was cooking or the fact that Misako who had arrived a few hours ago seemed to wreak of lavender parfum.

"You realise it's mid evening, you don't need to wear those now do ya?" Lloyd said as he sat opposite Cole with his garlic medallion necklace.

Kai moved closer, "you know these guys you hang around with?"

Cole grinned, "David, Dwayne, Paul and Marko?" He said, turning his abnormally pale face to view Kai's own.

"Yeah them," Kai said quietly, "Don't suppose they know where Jay is do they?" He asked, just throwing it out there to see if Cole would reveal any huge clues.

"David rarely speaks, Dwayne brags, Marko moans but..." he paused, "-Paul mentioned some stuff about a group of girls he goes to see."

"I don't suppose you know the address?" Kai said, "-would be quite handy if you could somehow pry that information from him or even your girlfriend, if she knows?"

"I could ask, supposed to be going there later anyway," he made the mistake of taking a deep breath in. The smell was almost too much to bear and Cole stood abruptly. He crinkled his face with the pungent stench of garlic that was attacking him from all sides, though it wasn't bad enough to warrant him barfing on Kai, he was certainly close to it, so he made his way across to the main front doors.

"You're going now?" Kai quizzed, a frown apparent.

"You're not eating with us Cole?" Misako asked with a concerned glance. She hadn't seen him eat anything at all.

It was for want of trying either, Cole hadn't eaten anything substantial since Jay had vanished. He simply couldn't stomach it, the thought gave him stomach cramps. Nibbling on saltine's seem to help but even that foodstuff wasn't giving him the sustenance he needed. "No," he turned to look back at Kai before looking at Misako. "Sorry, I've got a prior engagement to attend to," he said, as politely as he could without offending. "Maybe later, save me some?" He suggested.

He opened the door and, to Cole's surprise, a man was standing there on the door mat. This older looking man had a definite shifty look about him. Though Cole noted him to be dressed like a middle aged man who was trying too hard to be 'in with the cool gang'.

"Who are you?" Cole asked, grabbing his jacket from the coat and hat stand to his right.

"My name's Max, I'm the owner from the video store," He stated and stood back respectfully.

"You're lucky it wasn't Kai who answered the door, he'd have pummelled you, after yesterday."

"I came to apologise for my staff's behaviour," he said in response. Choosing to ignore the perceived threat, "I hear she was less than helpful."

"You could say that, yeah," Cole had stepped fully outside and had closed the door behind him, not even allowing Max entrance cross the threshold. "If you want to apologise, go for it. I've got somewhere I need to be." He growled, barging past Max as the latter just stood and stared after the angry black haired teen.

* * *

A few hours later and the brooding master of earth had arrived at the boardwalk, he'd chosen Jay's bike, it was faster. But more than that, he'd chosen it because he felt closer to Jay when he rode it. The thing oozed his style, his favourite colour, lightning bolts, even his initials. It was his pride and joy, seconded only by his girlfriend, the love of his life. Then there was the jacket he'd come home in. Though it was Jay's, it hadn't left his bed. The master of earth had it next to his pillow for some form of security blanket.

Furthermore, he didn't want to talk to Nya... And, to be fair, she hadn't spoken to him. Just moments of civility and the odd greeting to make each other aware that they still existed. Then there was that heart wrenching feeling that he didn't want to admit that Nya might have made it up in her state of denial. Truthfully, he didn't want to admit that Jay was dead because that would be in acceptance of it and in accepting it, Cole knew that he himself would be be solely to blame.

He would be to blame for his best friends death.

It had been almost a full week and the more that time passed, the more resentful he became of David. He knew he was being lied to, even Star was keeping things from him and that was something he didn't like.

* * *

If it was even possible, Cole was seething now. He was absolutely furious when he had barged past the queue to the carousel where he could see David and the guys with smug grins on their faces.

Walking down to them, he grabbed the smallest first and yanked the startled Marko back.

"Hey, whoa," Marko grumbled, straightening himself up, clicking his neck in some macho style.

Cole had done it for a reason. Mainly, so he could be face to face with David, the so called leader of this gang. "Where is Jay?" Cole snarled, with a vicious repose as he grabbed hold of David's leather lapels from his long black trench coat.

"I know you guys know something about Jay," He turned his gaze to Paul, "you know something about him, dontcha?"

Cole had just travelled to the cave, expecting to see Star because, though she didn't want to divulge what Cole might be, she had been hinting at knowing more about Jay's disappearance, alluding to the fact that, again, these were more secrets she couldn't tell him. Her previous vagueness in answering questions gave him no reason to suspect that Jay was anything but alive.

Until now!

Star's disappearance was a mystery. She lived with these guys, in a filthy cave, they obviously had something to do with it. And the more he thought about it, they probably knew about Jay too.

"Where is she?" Cole growled, his grip on David's coat was strong.

David called off the pack of hounds, otherwise known as his brothers with a simple flick of his hand. He didn't attempt to pry Cole's hands off him either, though he could have done so quite easily had he needed to. Instead, David looked at him with a wicked smile, and blew the mouthed cigarette smoke in Cole's face.

The anger was further exacerbated in Cole's eyes with the appearance of a grin and the subsequent sound of sardonic laughter coming from David's smug face.

"WHERE'S STAR?" Cole repeated louder, now in Davids face. He was close enough to see the swirling calculating, blue of David's eyes.

David pulled his arm upwards with ease, placing it condescendingly on Cole's shoulder. He laughed again, noting that Cole's gaze hadn't left his because the half vampire wanted answers. "Take it easy Cole."

Cole was aware that he was outnumbered, but his defiance won out and his bravado came back full force, allowing him to resume a tighter grip on David's coat lapel, "Where's Star, **_David?_** " He enunciated the latter quite clearly and there was a succinct level of vitriol with each short word spoken.

"Cole, you ever wanna see them again," he paused briefly and grasped Cole's jacket with both hands, pulling him forwards with each word spoken, "-you better come with us, right now!" He warned, none too subtly. The smile from his face dropped as he released Cole's jacket. David wasn't forcing him as such, but he was testing to see if he'd follow through with the second test.


	30. Chapter 30

**Thanks to RandomDragon, BunnyTheNinja and Master of Cupcakes XD,**

 **Ebony Umbreon: you might end up being right. Though, Cole and Kai are only half vampires.**

 **You might find that you can't review this new chapter, though it is brand new...I had a jiggle around of chapters a few nights ago. Now each one has a day and location.**

* * *

 _ **Sunday night**_

 _ **Location: Santa Carla Boardwalk**_

David had pulled Cole close, too close for comfort. "You might want your bike for this," he said quietly but clearly. He released his grip and gave Cole a firm pat on his upper arm.

Cole, who had been firmly standing before David grabbed his coat in retaliation. Had found himself momentarily lose his footing, he ended up on leaning forward on his toes instead. Pulled forwards in and towards David's dangerous testing glare. The master of earth had straightened himself down. Pulled his jacket from around the nape of his neck where it had started to tug on him from the impromptu yet impressive show of strength.

It was surprising, for one; David didn't exude any impressive musculature, yet, he was deceptively strong...startlingly so.

As he walked back to retrieve Jay's bike, he contemplated what was about to happen. A spike of fear and a moment of self doubt niggled at him but he pushed it to the back of his mind and continued to free wheel the motorcycle down to where David and his brothers were waiting on their bikes.

He told himself that he could still do this. He might be outnumbered again, as before, but he had a feeling he could do this alone, even if just to get these questions answered.

Yet, that same spike of fear returned. He had a feeling that they'd planned something and this time he didn't have Jay there to back him up. "Come on, you got this." Kicking the side stand off, Cole mounted Jay's taller bike and started the engine. Quickly, he'd joined the four men at the beach front entrance.

Cole had done the first initiation _partially_ without Jay. Though the lightning master had begrudgingly tagged along for the ride too, eventually but only because he was too stubborn to back off and stay put...then _he_ _fell_ _off and injured himself_.

And though Cole had never admitted it at the time, that initiation was exhilarating. The rest of that night he hadn't even needed Jay, though he still vaguely remembered him being there at the viaduct, right at the crux of letting go for another daft initiation. That, had been the start of this stupid journey, the night Jay went missing.

Then there was Kai. The spiky haired dude with an addiction to gel. He wouldn't leave his sister's side...unless she was working, but she hadn't been back since. He seemed to be taking it in his stride to counsel her about her feelings for Jay. Sometimes he just kept her company when she walked down the Boardwalk or strolled along the beach front looking for anyone that might have resembled an auburn haired confused young man.

Cole didn't need Lloyd either. The green machine was busy entertaining his mom. She was mollycoddling him, _for want of a better word_ , and everyone else for that matter. Cole thought more about her and how everyone seemed a little more humanised since her arrival. It was because _she_ was here and attempting to patch things up. Misako was what everybody really needed. She was a literal breath of fresh air, a positive face and outlook after their near week of hell. She was the one who was attempting to pull them all back together again.

Finally, Zane. He was the only one of his brothers that was normal, though he was anything but. And, in the face of adversity, he was the one that had been solely attempting to keep things running, now with Misako on hand, they could do it.

* * *

But _they_ couldn't help him anymore, they had no idea what they were up against. Truthfully, neither did he. Cole was in this mess on his own.

He now knew and had fully accepted that he had been the instigator of Jay's disappearance. It was his fault and his fault alone, the reason why Kai was acting strange, why Lloyd was suffering with sleepless nights and why Nya could hardly stand to look at him anymore.

He checked his watch, it was almost ten pm when he'd arrived on the Boardwalk.

 _He was heavily aggrieved when he'd previously arrived at the cave to spend a few hours with her to find that both Star and the little boy had vanished. He wouldn't have even known where to look for a note, because the cave was a dump. The first place he checked was their bed, the same bed he'd made love to her on their first night together._ _Her scarf was there, she was not. And though he was annoyed at her absence, he still held it sinfully against his face and breathed her in. It still held her intoxicating scent of roses and delicate summer flowers. Underneath that scarf, it became visible. There was a small note, a handwritten order from David._

 _ **If you want to see her again you'll meet us at the Boardwalk at 10.** _

_Cole had quickly stormed out of the cave, leaving the barrels lit, as before. He'd clambered back onto the bike and thrashed it to get back to the Boardwalk to where he knew they'd be and he wasn't wrong. That damned carousel, the same ride that Jay had been on with Nya before he took an unprovoked right hook to the jaw. It took a man of strong character to not outright beat the crap out of the assailant, Jay had literally turned the other cheek._

 _Pulling his leather jacket together, Cole had zipped it right up and walked past the rides. The majority of revellers had gone home for the night, the only ones left behind were the youth of Santa Carla. The ones who were mostly, old enough to stay out at this time._

* * *

Back to the here and now, Cole was waiting on the beach. He was sat atop the bike, _Jay's bike_.

He followed them because the ultimatum had been set.

He watched them as they started their engines in quick succession. Not a word was said between them.

David, as usual, he led them out.

This was a change for the books, instead of going alongside the Boardwalk pier, as they had done on their bikes a few days ago, David had led his brothers in the opposite direction. Heading towards Luna Bay, another little resort further down the LA coastline.

Cole said nothing as they continued on the beach as a group of five. He was lagging behind, bringing up the rear. He chose to hang back, because the way these guys were acting was giving him the creeps, now more than ever. The way they carried themselves was completely different to how he had come to see them from the previous nights of debauchery. There now seemed to be something carnal and dark in the way they looked. A certain carnivorous streak in the way that they were acting.

"Where the hell you taking me huh?" Cole said _to himself._ It wasn't like they could hear him either, the combined sounds of their engines served to drown out any conversation, save for the heckling and cheering. The only other noise he focused on was the howling wind as the breeze lashed his hair into his face at intervals.

"What's this thing that you _just_ need to show me, hmm?" He muttered with a raised bushy eyebrow, not really enjoying the secrecy between them. Cole was still holding onto his restrained anger, ready to unleash it when they least expected.

Cole noticed they were headed toward a more secluded area of beach front. This being much farther away from the Boardwalk than he had duly expected, possibly even out of the town limits. This fact alone would likely provide seclusion and the secrecy, though largely ominous, was sure to guarantee him the chance to air some home truths. Maybe Cole would be able to speak to David after all.

Maybe.

"Nothing to fear is what, Jay said. Come on Cole you got this...no fear."

* * *

The good thing about motorbikes and dune buggies was that beach travel was exceptionally fast when you knew how to drive on this type of terrain. Cole was learning fast, Jay's bike wasn't meant for riding on the sand, it was struggling with the additional sand getting in to the finely tuned engine and carburetor. His stomach clenched, hoping it wasn't a sign that Jay, wherever he was, was failing too...Cole still believed him to be alive, and tonight, he was hoping that he'd find out for sure.

Before long, they'd all arrived at an area of beach front that was so far off the beaten track Cole was surprised that any revellers would even be out here. It was true though, this part was classed as Luna Bay and it wasn't far from millionaires row. The private beachfronts that belonged to the multi-million dollar houses that had the best views. The ones that all had the backdrop of the Pacific.

But just shy of the first large mansion, David had stopped his bike and his brothers did the same. Engines still roaring, Cole couldn't hear a thing so he took a quick glance, there was nothing remotely special around here so why had David brought him so far out of town?

He was quickly mistaken when the moment their bike engines were killed...he heard something, as clear as day. Their motorbikes had been parked up behind a grass covered sand dune and next to the expanse of sand was a low branched tree. After that, all that could be seen was just the ocean ahead. He still couldn't see what was causing all the ruckus as he'd stayed put.

Cole had remained on Jay's bike, both hands firm on the handle bars...Un-moving but watching none the less.

The first thing that Cole noticed was the sound, he could hear loud music playing. Then, the addition that the brightness all around them was obscuring the stars in the night sky. It was only once David and his brothers had cleared the sand dune and Cole's peripheral that he could see what they were looking at and the reason for the unnatural brightness.

 _'Surfers, cool. These guys are having a party.'_

"Party, they're just having a celebr..." Cole's snarky words were cut off by Davids stern glare as the leader took to non too subtly telling Cole to 'zip it' with a vicious sneer that served to unsettle him further.

These party goers were dancing mostly, listening and jumping around to the loud music that was being blasted out from a boombox on a nearby washed up piece of driftwood. The music was some track that Cole recognised instantly as _Run DMC_ , a remix with _Aerosmith_. They were just partying like they had no cares in the world. Pouring tequila on the handmade fire they'd created out of broken crates and other such litter.

Cole had turned to observe David as he ran to the nearest low branched tree, the other three guys followed him.

The tree was perfect to hide behind because the trunk was substantial enough to hide a person easily and the canopy provided a good camouflage. Not that it mattered, David and his brothers were all wearing black. Even Cole was wearing his black leather jacket, zipped right up to his neck. Still, he remained sat atop Jay's motorbike, not daring to move any. He wasn't sure what he was meant to be observing, though the subdued quietness of these four guys unnerved him immensely, he remained stoically silent...waiting, biding his time.

David started chuckling, it wasn't a joyful laugh, this was dark and maniacal in nature. Made even worse when his brothers joined in, all of them looking at Cole.

"What's so funny? Are you guys planning on beating up a few guys, is that it, is that what this whole thing is about?" Cole whispered, under his breath so that David could only just hear him.

David had turned his head to the rebellious half vampire. "Cole," he said, "over here...you'll wanna see this."

His chiselled jaw clenched, he thought to himself if this was another stupid initiation? Or was he going to be expected to beat up these guys in order to commit to join David's gang?

""You don't wanna miss this," David said in a voice that seemed dark and dangerous.

Cole had reluctantly followed suit and climbed unsteadily onto the lowest branch but said nothing just followed David's lead. Though the reason they were spying on party revellers was beyond him.

 _'They're having fun, like we used to,'_ He thought, _dolefully_.

Truthfully, in Cole's opinion, these guys; some of which had impressive mohicans, were were making him feel a sad twinge of jealousy. This was almost what he and his brothers would do on a day off, though the alcohol was a rare occurrence. They were having a good time, no one was getting hurt and they were dancing to some good upbeat tunes. Nothing untoward at all, uncoordinated dance moves, or self expression the best way they knew how; as Lou would have put it.

These guys weren't doing anything wrong just having a good time. And, by the looks of it, they were having a better time than he was, he harrumphed at that fact but continued to watch regardless.

David chuckled again, his face gave the look of homicidal joy for the briefest of moments. "Initiation's over, Cole," David said, pausing. His face had turned away so that Cole couldn't see his exact expression, "It's time to join the club," he gave a soft laugh.

David's face came back out from the shadows of the night but it wasn't a face that Cole was expecting to see. This one wasn't gentle or roguish in the slightest, this was a face devoid of any human characteristics. Now, it resembled a look of malicious hostility that should have been the main focus of someones darkest nightmare. Horrified didn't even come close to how Cole was feeling when he looked at David's face.

That spike of fear had returned full force and Cole was terrified, so much so that he couldn't move. He was petrified when he'd foolishly looked into the same eyes that had once been so blue.

Cole nearly fell out of the tree in horrified and stunned silence as he took on the face of David, in fact all of his brothers looked the same. Their faces were contorted into something that could've easily exceeded that of his worst nightmares, especially at the proximity he'd put himself him. Twisted and snarling, cracking their necks unnaturally. Each one of them was baring their fangs in all their glory. These fangs were longer than average and obscenely sharp in appearance. It was a definite act of aggression and a finite warning to let Cole know that he didn't stand a chance if he chose to fight them on his own.

His terrified gaze travelled upwards again and he took on the colour of their eyes. The natural blue of David's had been replaced with a yellow iris, a ring of pure blood red surrounding them. There was no white sclera anymore, it was all bloodshot and ghastly.

Now aware that his heart rate was extremely elevated, Cole held steadfast to the branch for dear life. The master of earth was looking around himself for something nice to think of but the added sounds of laughter and music made it difficult for him to focus on anything. Each one of David's brothers had changed into exactly what Lloyd had accused Cole of being. Of what Zane had correctly deduced.

All four of them were vampires, blood thirsty evil carnivorous creatures of the night.

And no matter how much he tried to fight the feeling of the moment, his fast heart rate and the fact he was surrounded by blood thirsty killing machines. He couldn't stop staring at them.

Paralyzed with fear at what he could now clearly see and what he was continuing to see. Cole was totally and utterly panic stricken at being unable to control his body, more precisely at being unable to help these innocent people. To further exacerbate his fear, his element wasn't working either, likely due to the fact he'd not eaten much.

David's evil smile disappeared and the heckling cruel laughter that clawed at him had stopped. The blonde haired leader had vanished, as had the other three.

Cole craned his neck, up and around to search for them but he didn't have to search for long.

The cold sounds of blood curdling screams could be heard from the party goers on the beach as each one was being devoured in the most horrific way. Cole couldn't tear his eyes away from the carnage. He was glued to the spot, his throat tight as his body convulsed in fear. He found himself completely incapable of moving as his body had set stiff with how much death he was witnessing.

The music was more white noise now, it hardly served to drown out the sounds of screams as these party goers ran for their lives in all differing directions. David and his brothers had no care for how they were choosing to dispatch these surfers, who had been, up until that point, having a good time.

This was an all out blood bath, a feeding frenzy.

In a crazed manner and like a pack of hyenas, Dwayne had ripped the throat of one of the young men, the blood trailed down his face and his own neck. He revelled in the feel of having it trail down his front to stain his white shirt. Not caring in the slightest at how much was spilt onto the once white sands.

David had bitten someones scalp and was in the process of scalping him too, slashing and ripping.

Cole, though he was trembling fearfully, tried his hardest to avert his eyes but he found that he couldn't turn away. His eyes couldn't tear themselves away from seeing all the disgusting horror surrounding him. The screams, the biting, sucking of blood and crunching of bone and unmistakable sounds of necks being broken and severed. "Cole?" They were all calling at intervals...taunting him as he remained stuck in the tree

It was all too much to bear, Cole was sweating at fighting his own bodily urges. He was scared stiff at what he could feel in his own mouth. Just like them, his fangs were sharp, his eyes could only see the crimson as it bespattered on the boombox. Nothing else was visible...just the blood, the smell of death was so enticing.

He had nothing to give, and he felt completely hopeless, despondent at what he could see.

These guys were monsters, literal blood thirsty killing machines and they'd killed everyone. They were all dead, there were no survivors.

Each one, Dwayne with the darkest hair, and Paul who looked like a rock star wannabe, had joined David in throwing the newly dead onto the pyre.

Cole could smell the blood on the air, could taste it in his mouth. He was sweating profusely, trembling like a leaf as he'd watched the display of vulgarity and heinous acts of wanton blood lust. And though his face was now of the same horrific repose as David's, he screamed loudly against the craving urges and the endless horror of what he'd just witnessed.

He screamed at the top of his lungs, it was too much to bear. " ** _NOOOOOO!_** " The yell he released almost destroyed his throat. He was struggling to focus, his strength was giving out due to the fact he hadn't taken any food since he'd drank David's _so called_ wine. Which he now knew to be blood, there was no other excuse, it had to be blood, it was the only thing, he'd consumed.

His strength and resolve finally giving out to the increase in adrenaline, his arms began to shake and his grip failed him. Cole fell out of the tree and rolled down the sand dune, ending up on his front. He was aware that he was panting harshly with what he'd just been an unwilling part of and the needless death of so many, those visions would haunt him from now on, til the day he would die.

Never had he felt so sick as he did now.

The music had died down too, the only sound he could could hear was the ocean waves lapping up and unfurling onto the shoreline. Cole lifted his head, now covered in sweat from fighting the same urges that David had exhibited and given in to. All four men were standing before him, on the brow of the sand dune. Each one covered in the blood of the fallen. It was all over their faces, though they were licking their lips, standing there with smug grins.

David chuckled again and sighed, a little disappointed. "So," he turned to look at his brothers as they joined his side, "-now you know what _we are_ , now you know what _you are_."

Cole said nothing, he didn't want to believe it.

"You'll never grow old Cole, and you'll never die-" David said, looking down at Cole as he lay on the sand. "-But you must eat," he finished, laughing again. Sickeningly, he wiped his bloody mouth with the back of his hand as his brothers looked on.

Every single one of these guys was covered in the blood of the innocent. Party goers, revellers, surfers. These people weren't doing anything wrong, except for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"You must feast, Cole," David repeated, licking his hand with a smug grin.

* * *

He wasn't sure how he got back but he did, in one piece. Cole couldn't even remember where he'd placed the bike only that he'd walked a fair few miles to gather his thoughts. His face, now a fair few shades paler than before, his visage sweaty. It gave him the look of someone who was dead, or who was heading that way, truthfully, it was how he felt inside.

Death, carnage, destruction, the blood was everywhere.

He walked into the house with his head down, straight up into Kai's shared bedroom.

The door was already open when he got the their shared bedroom but Lloyd was placing one of Kai's stuffed animals into the filling wardrobe. Lloyd had shut the door and had almost jumped out of his skin in the process when he spotted Cole standing in the doorway. The startling appearance of Cole had cut their conversation in half as they all took in his haunting appearance. To Lloyd, Cole looked clammy, like he'd seen a ghost or worse. The look of complete and utter despair and hopelessness was so clear to see.

Cole wasn't smiling either, he was struggling to contain his emotions. He broke the awkward silence. "It's okay," he said softly, "I know who I am now," he hand out to show he was trying not to pose a threat as he brothers had all jumped into protective stances.

"Do y-you know who the head vampire i-is?" Lloyd plucked up some more courage, standing to regard Cole. "We've run out of clues."

"Course he doesn't," Kai growled, he looked almost as bad as Cole, minus the clammy skin.

Cole said nothing, his black ringed eyes were now hollow because all he could see now was the endless death he'd observed.

Before Zane, or Lloyd had a chance to ask another question, Cole's attention had been captured once again. He heard his name being called, by a female.

This wasn't Nya's voice, nor Misako's, he recognised it immediately. Quickly stalking to the window, Cole pulled the wooden blinds up and wrenched the windows open. Sure enough it was her, and she looked guilty.

Lloyd was brave enough to stand within such close proximity of Cole and he peered out at the girl below, "Hey, isn't that the girl from the Boardwalk, you've been going on about?" He wasn't sure, he'd never seen her but she seemed to know Cole well enough to show up here and now.

"I have to talk to you," She stated, looking around mildly panicked, "can I come up?"

"No," his answer was quick, and it took his brothers by surprise. Cole had almost growled at her before quickly turning to Lloyd. "You shut your window and lock your door!"

He was just about to exit the bedroom to meet her outside but evidently Star had other ideas and within a few seconds and an almighty gust of ghostly sounding wind, she was standing next to a pale faced Lloyd who looked like he was about to pass out. "She's one of them," he exclaimed, panic stricken Lloyd ran as fast as he could, crouching partially behind Zane.

Both Cole and Star were staring at each other, a good three meters separating the pair as the three brothers watched on in silence. Cole was un-moving, "You know where he took me tonight, don't you?" He asked, maybe she'd be truthful this time. Because honestly, Star looked completely fine.

"Yes", she said, moving toward him slowly, "It was my fault."

Her hand came to rest on his face and he swiped it away angrily. Not hitting her any, just removing her hand in such a way she was shocked.

Star had proceeded to tell him how it was. His brothers had stared in open mouthed shock when Cole admitted to drinking David's blood, only reason of deduction could tell him that. He'd not eaten anything else, and yes, ironically, Star had tried to warn him but he had thought she was playing mind games too.

"Cute," He mouthed in disgust, "You were protecting David?"

"Who's David?" Kai asked from the other side of the room, only slightly intimidated by the presence of two vampires in the room he slept in.

No-one answered him though.

"Well I'm just like David now, Star," Cole said.

She refused to believe that, offering her own reasons. Then she offered the reason she couldn't tell him of David's secret, and all that boiled down to was that because _Cole_ was supposed to be Star's _first kill_. To make her a full vampire required her to take the life of another person. But she couldn't follow through with it, she liked him too much.

A derisive sneer. "Is it because you care so much about me?" He said, sarcastically. "Why did you come here tonight, Star?" Cole asked, grabbing her wrists firmly, their bodies far too close to comfort.

"To let you know that it's not too late for you!"

He'd laughed at her, letting go of her arms in disgust, mostly at the fact she knew about this whole setup. He had only turned his back for a split second and she'd vanished. Going out the way she came in.

Slightly remorseful of his actions, and the fact he was sure that she knew of Jay's whereabouts too, Cole ran back to the window. " **STAR?** " He shouted, but she'd gone and there were no signs that she'd even been here, other than Lloyd's still petrified face at having two vampires here.

Lloyd was _on it like a car bonnet._ He'd clambered over to the phone and was proceeding to dial a number. Something that Cole figured, Lloyd had learnt off by heart judging by how fast he was dialling it.

Cole looked shocked with Lloyd's actions. "What are you doing?" he hissed, worriedly.

Zane and Kai had come to stand next to him, calming him slightly trying to get him to sit down because the master of earth looked dead on his feet.

"I've got connections," Lloyd said quickly, listening for the ring tone.


	31. Chapter 31

**Thanks to RandomDragon (love the commentary).**

 **The lady Mayor Brady - Twas a ploy, you see. Cole was lured and he fell, hook, line and sinker into their trap. Star was in on it too.**

 **And Master of Cupcakes XD glad you enjoyed.**

 **Hoping there's no errors.**

* * *

 _ **Early Monday moning 01:23**_

 _ **Location: Kai, Lloyd and Zane's shared bedroom**_

Once Cole had told them what he'd witnessed including snippets of sheer depravity, the helpless watching of a group of men that were being torn asunder and sucked dry. When those depressing and horrific images were shared with his team. Lloyd had crept off to the kitchen, with Nya in tow, mainly to gather more garlic supplies and crudely made crucifixes. Then, they'd all mostly huddled together in the same room as before. Cole had briefly mentioned something about his element being on the fritz, he couldn't even summon a tremor, let alone a pebble.

Though Zane had expressly forbid him from even trying, being as they were so close to the San Andreas fault. And Santa Carla had not long been host to a devastating earth quake that had levelled the place within a few short minutes of it striking.

Cole groaned miserably, "Now _you know what **we** are...Now you know what **you** are._" He repeated.

 _"You'll never grow old and you'll never die, but... **you must eat**."_

"That's what he said," Lloyd repeated, verbatim. "Well, I guess...So, tomorrow then?"

The Frog brothers were on the other end of the phone he was still holding on to. Their usual smug attitude could be heard coming down the line as clear as day. But it was beginning to rub off on Lloyd. He took them and their outlandish attitude with a pinch of salt.

"We'll drop by tomorrow. Yeah, then we can word out a plan."

It took Kai and Nya a few seconds to realise Lloyd was speaking to two teenagers, at the same time. They had slightly different tones of voice, one gravelly and the other deep and monotonous. Cole could hear it too, he chose not to contribute any more to it, he already felt like a failure as it was.

Once Lloyd had replaced the receiver on the phone, Nya had come out of her shell. She'd chosen to sit on the end of Lloyd's bed because evidently, he was the one that looked like he was in shock, other than Cole.

Still, she turned to Cole. "I-I don't know what to say, to any of this," She said, shaking her head in shock and now concern. Calmly, she turned to observe the shaken up master of earth. "They didn't do anything _else_ to you?"

 _'What, other than the fact they lied to me, teased me and fooled me into drinking blood?'_ His mind had helpfully supplied some choice expletives to throw back at her but he bit back what he wanted to say, instead keeping it to himself. "Like what?" Cole asked, genuinely curious to see where Nya was going with this line of questioning.

"Did they _bite_ you?" She inquired, hands by her face as she waited for the answer.

Cole shook his head, a dark laugh, "No, they didn't _bite_ me."

' _They only bit Jay'_ , he thought.

He remembered that part too, more bits were coming back to him. Jay was most definitely bleeding when he held onto Cole's hands for dear life. The crimson dribbled not only down his chin and cheeks in bloody rivulets. Steadily dripping onto Cole's face as the lightning master struggled with Cole's failing grip. But also from his head too, where his helmet had cracked.

"Then how did you become this _half vampire_ then?" She said, throwing her hands to the side, exasperated.

"Nya?" Kai mumbled, "Three things right; One...I've got a headache, two...go easy on him and three...calm down."

" _Calm_ , you mean like you were when all this kicked off?" Nya retorted. She so wanted to toss a scatter up there and whack him over the head with it but she didn't want to move in case Cole had other ideas and attempted to devour each one where they sat, lay and stood.

The master of earth had cleared his throat from his position on the floor. "I wasn't bitten, they gave me what I thought was wine, only it wasn't." Cole groaned from the floor, "It was blood, David's blood."

" **You drank someones blood, are you insane?** " Nya shrieked.

Kai was attempting, _unsuccessfully_ , to doze on the top bunk because a horrendous stomach ache had taken him by surprise during the earlier evening. And, though he'd managed to eat something worthwhile, it had soon made a reappearance and the resulting upchuck had made him moan and groan in pain on his top bunk for the majority of the night. The only reason he'd been on his feet when Cole had arrived was because Kai had only just come back from the bathroom. This was after spending an eternity hugging the toilet bowl like it was his best friend. Whispering sweet chilli chunks of nothing but hurl and spew into the beautiful white porcelain.

Kai covered his ears again, groaning. " _ **Nyaaaaa**_ , st-stop!"

"I didn't know it was blood, _NYA_!" Cole replied viciously. His voice boomed throughout the room and he buried his head again when Kai groaned and hid his head under the pillow. "Wh-whatever I drank, it still doesn't tell me why I couldn't fight back."

"Wait, our element's are passed down through our blood lines, aren't they?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes," Nya nodded enthusiastically, though keeping her distance from Cole, and now, keeping her voice subdued from her ailing brother.

Zane had nodded. "Though, I doubt the act of consuming anothers blood would interact so much as to completely alter your own elemental qualities. DNA however...well." He paused, deep in thought. "I ascertain that, other than the extra and unique gifts you have acquired, Cole, you are still you."

He was still groaning. "Then what caused it, why couldn't I fight back?"

"I surmise an acute stress reaction to the horrific events you witnessed," he said giving a Prozac and glass of water, a half shrug apology too, "Sorry, we do not have blood, this will suffice?"

"That's the thing though, I don't want blood." Cole rolled his eyes, he didn't need humour now, he needed an action plan. Star was safe, that was apparent, she'd set him up. That was clear to see, but what about Jay, where did he fit in all of this, why hadn't she mentioned him too, or David for that matter?

"If I drink, even one drop of the stuff, I'll be a full vampire-" Cole mumbled, lifting his head finally, "forever, no turning back, no reversal."

Zane nodded, "No blood."

"Thanks Zane," Cole said, taking the tablet. He popped it back with a gulp of water. Secretly wondering where Zane had managed to get prescription strength Prozac from. He quickly assumed that Zane must have pilfered them from Donald's private collection in his own bathroom cupboard. They were labelled up for use as PTSD meds, meant for acute stress conditions, OCD and those with depressive states. Cole was unsure as to how they'd work with half vampires but he thought he'd give it a shot. He had nothing to lose except for the horrid memories that plagued him each time he closed his eyes.

"They're better than nothing," Lloyd said, softly.

"I'll uhm see if they work," he said, quietly. The faintest hint of a smile was present, in gratitude, but it went just as quickly.

The conversation grew stale, and everyone was still on edge. There was still one thing they hadn't discussed.

"So uh, did you get any more leads on Jay?" Lloyd asked, timidly. He was aware that Cole, in this delicate state, could flip and storm out of the room.

"David _mentioned_ him." That was all Cole muttered. He didn't want to accept the undeniable fact that Jay could be dead. Especially, if David had found him on that cliff edge bleeding, as Cole had left him. They'd be nothing left of him, just bones and decaying flesh. He shuddered uncontrollably and hugged himself tighter, tugging his arms together around his knees. They might have put him on a bonfire too on the beach and let the tide carry his carcass out to sea so the sharks and sea life could have at it too.

"In what way, like he knows where he is?" Kai turned onto his side, peering through the safety bar of the top bunk.

"Did David tell you where he could be?" Lloyd asked, "Is-is he hurt?"

Another groan escaped Cole's lips. All these questions and the mounting positivity surrounding where Jay could be. For all Cole knew, Jay's bones were at the bottom of the sea right about now. "Paul told me, when he was _drunk_."

Silence, awkward silence as they waited for Cole to tell them more but it never came. Time seem to go by slowly, it felt like an eternity since anyone had spoken, until Kai took in a deep breath and blew it out just as fast between his lips, a sign of his mounting anxiety. "Told you what? What did Paul tell you?"

"Who's _Paul_?" Nya asked, confusion clear on her face.

"Nya, "Kai groaned, "One of David's brother's right Cole?"

Cole nodded, "Paul goes to a house filled with girls and an old woman, once a week."

Though it was an answer, vague at best, at least Kai had something to go on now. His eyebrow rose at the suggestion that his filthy mind was supplying him with. "A brothel? What about Jay?"

"I do not think it is that Kai!" Zane shook his head, listening to Cole regardless.

"But ya don't know. You aren't like completely certain are ya?" He said looking Zane in the eyes and simultaneously groaned when Nya threw a scatter cushion at him, the corner of which hit him in the eye. His other eye could just about make out her thunderous repose, the glare now apparent on her angered face.

Cole shrugged. It sounded like one from the description he gave. Yet he knew that Paul wouldn't need to go there for that particular activity. He was an attractive guy with long blonde hair. He looked like an extra from Motley Crue minus the kohl eyeliner. "I don't know, alright?" Cole replied, his voice breaking by the second. He rubbed his face to hide the tear tracks. "I-I don't know."

Lloyd couldn't think of the right words to express how he felt at hearing Cole's anguish. Cole had obviously seen something so horrendous tonight that it had shaken him to the core and the event had made him feel hopeless despair at the fact he could do nothing to stop them. He'd been unable to fight back. Though he'd mentioned how strong these guys were in comparison and, when pitted against how their emotions were tied into their elements, it was no small wonder that Cole couldn't even manage to fight.

He watched Zane hand his vampire brother a tissue before walking back to his place on the end of bed nearest to Cole.

"Do you know if he's alive...Cole?" Lloyd asked, gently. His head in his hands, he wasn't looking forward to the answer if it proved to be anything other that a simple 'yes'.

All at once, the eyes in the room were watching and waiting for an answer.

"I-I don't know _where_ he is."

Lloyd bit his lip and shook his head, "So we've got nothing to go on?"

"So, what, we should start his funeral arrangements then?" Kai asked solemnly, a hint of sarcasm as he spoke. Because he'd run out of things to suggest and nothing of what they'd done had brought them any closer to finding him, to finding Jay.

Kai looked at the alarm clock, M _onday just the early hours_ , he thought. _Almost a full week had passed_ ,. It was true, six days had passed in the blink of an eye since they, as a team had seen the blue one. "It's been almost a week now?"

Lloyd had looked up at the bunk where Kai lay miserably clutching his stomach. "We can't think like that..." He said. "There's still hope, right Cole?"

"I-I don't know anymore...I just, I don't know." Luckily his voice carried and despite the fact he was hiding his face between his hands and knees, his brothers could understand him clearly.

"Cole, don't give up," Lloyd soothed from afar. The master of energy stayed back a respectable distance. "We've all been dealt a low blow, a curve ball. None of us knew that this would happen did we, when we got here?"

Nya wanted to say something about Jay but bit her tongue, instead moving her eyes around the room and taking in the depressed individuals surrounding her. This was supposed to have been a holiday, a vacation. A chance for them all to relax and it was anything but that. Jay was missing presumed dead again and Cole was a vampire. Kai looked like he was suffering with food poisoning and Lloyd was terrified witless, most of the time.

* * *

But, in the face of adversity, there was now a potential solution to their problem, a dangerous but worthwhile solution that might just work. Lloyd looked up at Kai, intermittently at Zane before his sorry gaze settle back on Cole. "Ya know those guys I work with, Cole?" He said as quietly as he could muster. "Well, they're coming over tomorrow. Apparently they know all about this sort of stuff. Like hyper aware of it."

In a way he was reiterating the conversation in case Cole hadn't heard him the first time.

Cole didn't interrupt, he'd already told them, in a way. He had sensitive hearing, since drinking that stuff, he now knew to be David's blood. He'd heard the whole conversation and the breaths that hitched when Lloyd told them of how many people had been killed at the beach.

"Cole, you need to talk about it. Let it out, don't bottle it up," Kai mumbled from his top bunk. "Makes it worse if ya keep it in," he said, almost speaking from experience.

"My element wouldn't work," he admitted, feeling like he was a broken record on repeat.

Zane had come to kneel next to him on the floor, taking the glass before Cole could squeeze the shape out of it. "Perhaps pertinent that you did not tap into your element. As I mentioned earlier, Cole." His blue orbs burning into Cole's hollow irises. "You must _not_ hold yourself accountable for this. How were you supposed to know that this turn of events would happen?"

His eyes were as wide as saucers when he eventually looked up. "I couldn't save _one_ person Zane, not one!"

That admission alone sent Lloyd's mood further downhill. So much so that he wished _he_ could have a Prozac. He knew his mother would likely object to that. "You can't take this on as your own, Cole," he said, bravely, though his weak voice still gave off undertones of fear and uncertainty when speaking to the blood sucker who was still his brother. "It's too big now and there's too much risk involved to go at it gung ho."

Cole was slumped on the floor, head between his knees. "I couldn't fight him off, guys."

"David, you mean, the one you mentioned earlier?" Kai said. Though the master of fire was laying on his back on the bed, not looking at anyone. He was still partially awake. Aware that Cole had taken to becoming the new draft excluder, blocking any and all drafts from below the door.

Cole nodded. "Yeah," he mumbled, through his knees. "He's deceptively strong...now I know why, right?"

 _'All that blood, those screams, bodies everywhere.'_ It was hopeless. Fear had prevented him from saving those people. He thought he was the stronger man until David had shown him that he wasn't. And, now David, coupled with the strength of his brothers, they between themselves, were an unstoppable force of supernatural nature.

"Lloyd, what's your suggestion?" Nya asked, but kept her eyes on Cole. He needed consoling. Needed to feel human but no-one dared go near him in case he couldn't control himself.

A nervous grin, "Frog Brothers tomorrow, they'll come up with a plan...I'm sure of it."

Now all he had to do was figure out who the head vampire was, and he was going to go to any means to find that out. He was only a half vampire as Star had stated, she was too and the little guy. It meant that they all had a reprieve, a chance to change things, to turn the tables and return to normal. That being said, it was getting harder and harder to resist the craving, because, the longer he went without food, and it was likely the same for Star. The hungrier and more edgier he would become.

"Did they say what to do in the mean time?" Nya asked, looking up at Kai, in concern.

"Stay in the house, don't leave, they'll be here tomorrow morning." Lloyd said, looking up at Kai too, "You alright Kai? You don't look so good."

"I look a damn sight better than your face did earlier this evening when Max came here."

Cole recognised the name, his head peaked a little, "Jay's boss. I thought he was coming to apologise and then leave?"

"He did," Kai said. His voice monosyllabic and annoyed. "I was just about to send the _asshole_ on his way when bloody _Misako_..."

"KAI?" Lloyd said angrily. The tone in which Kai had said his mother's name was vitriolic in nature.

" _Sorry...not sorry_ , Lloyd's mom invited him in and apologised for _my_ behaviour and _yours_ too, Cole."

"What? She sent him on his way, right?"

Lloyd shook his head, "No, she's a sucker for a man in a suit and trench coat... _apparently_." Lloyd felt uncomfortable talking about this now but all eyes were on him.

"She accepted his offer of a meal, they're going out for meal to clear the air...a fresh start."

"What? That's absurd!" Cole mouthed, looking up in shock at Lloyd's expression and then at Kai's almost white as a sheet face. "Is she _that_ desperate?"

"DUDE?! What the hell man?"

"Sorry, I'm just saying what I heard." Cole shrugged, still no smile on his face. "He looks like a shifty guy, I for one don't trust him, at all."

"Well, you're not the only one Cole." Kai said in agreement. "Me and Zane felt the same."


	32. Chapter 32

**MoC: Glad you enjoyed it XD**

 **Ebony: I know insane right, what can I say Max is suave and sophisticated around women. Maybe it's his charm, he's a successful entrepreneur, an eligible bachelor.**

 **RandomDragon: I love it**

* * *

 _ **Monday: mid morning approx 6am,**_

 _ **Location: Kai, Zane and Lloyd's bedroom**_

Cole had fallen asleep on the floor, Kai had fallen asleep in the top bunk bed.

They were all sleeping, huddled together after their lengthy chat and the revelation of what had happened earlier. This whole sorry shit heap of finding out what David and his brothers were all capable of and what the group of ninja were up against was a bitter pill to swallow. What was even worse, was that they were technically two ninja down now. Additionally; the strongest two of the team were affected too, one was out of commission, the other was a trembling wreck, incapable of standing up against a night crawler.

Cole wasn't strong enough to fight, Jay was still missing, now presumed dead and Lloyd was...Well, he'd reverted back into himself so much, that his mother had to be called to straighten things out. _Little did she know about the vampire thing._

Initially, the early hours had been quiet, the sounds of calm breathing surrounded the room as each slept peacefully. The warmth of the room had only increased with the additional two occupants, not to mention the temperature had been exceedingly warm the day before. The wooden house of Donald's didn't have any air conditioning so usually the widows were opened on the hottest of nights to allow some decent circulation but, because of what Cole had mentioned, he didn't want to leave the house again. The whole flying out of the window had freaked him out too much to even consider sleeping with the window open.

Kai was sleeping very deeply, he was actually dreaming that he could fly. Sweat was pouring off him as he tossed and turned. Suddenly he had the feeling he was falling in his dream and he clenched his fists in response. His entire body locked up to allow for the waking up that was sure to follow. Instead, he ended up falling four feet from the actual ceiling, landing hard on the bed, breaking it in the process.

 ** _Spectacularly._**

An almighty racket ensued when the top most framed legs suddenly gave way. Then, there was the unmistakable sound of cracking and splitting timber which woke the majority of assembled ninja. The remainder woke up when they top bunk collapsed onto the floor. The subsequent groan of misfortune that befell the occupant of the top and under bunk made everyone know that in the semi darkness, someone was more than likely hurt.

"Oww," Lloyd groaned miserably from under the splintered wood debris as he shoved the huge mattress off of his face and body. He'd been unlucky enough to be sleeping directly under Kai as he slept. The springs from the underside of the bed mattress had left some strange serpentine style pattern on his face. There was a slight cut on his forehead where the topmost leg had severed and had landed on him before falling to the side and landing upon the floor. Lloyd was lucky he'd only received the smallest of injuries as opposed to any broken bones.

"The hell just happened?" Kai groaned, sitting up from the floor, rubbing his head in confusion. The last he remembered, he was in his bed.

"Ugh, that has got to be," Lloyd groaned again, rubbing his head in abject misery, as he pulled himself free with Zane's help. "-The worst night's sleep ever, and quite possibly the lousiest way to wake up."

"What happened?" Zane questioned, rubbing the back of his head. Looking at the damage for himself whilst trying to figure out a root cause analysis. He noted the injury on Lloyd's forehead and quickly, because one of the occupant's in the room was a vampire, he dabbed at the visible injury. Zane had procured a cooled cloth by using his own element. Pressing it onto the wound to stem the almost non existent flow. "You hold it there, I will check on Kai too."

Lloyd nodded, regretting it almost instantly. "Ugh, my head."

"I think I just broke the bed," Kai groaned, now struggling to focus because a certain smell was affecting his thought processes. Nya had quickly joined his side, checking him for injury too. "I'm fine Nya, just a bit achey." Kai looked at Lloyd, he could see red, literal red.

"Excellent skills of observation, Kai." Zane stated, sarcastically. "Any idea how," He said, coming to check the master of fire for injury.

"Sorry bro, don't know what happened there," He said, smiling with an embarrassed grin. "Dreaming of flying," his grin a little too wide had now revealed a certain set of teeth that had Nya scrambling back away from her brother in a heartbeat.

"Nya?" Kai frowned at his sister's behaviour, He went to approach her but she scurried further away. "Nya, what's wrong?" His heart had sank at how she looked at him.

Cole had shot up too, but only because he could see the change in Kai even if no-one else could at that moment. His closer proximity, he could sense it.

Cole held him back, forcefully. "Kai, don't!"

As expected, the master of fire had pulled out of Cole's grasp. "NYA, talk to me what's wrong?" He'd walked closer to her but now Nya was cowering in fear, along with Lloyd.

"Y-your teeth Kai, l-look in the mirror," Lloyd shivered, holding Nya close. Zane was standing between them, shocked was an understatement.

Laughing, nervously, Kai entertained the idea if only to stop this stupid behaviour. He wasn't really expecting to see anything. He had begrudgingly turned to the mirror, supported by Cole who had an inkling of what was about to happen, with no _real_ idea as to how _this_ could have happened. Kai saw nothing, there was nothing there, not even his own reflection nor the reflection of Cole behind him. It was as if time had slowed down to stopping. he stared and stared, feeling like his legs were about to give out. "Wh-what?"

A sudden chill swept through Kai, as if a cold wind had cut through the room. Stutter shocked, his face and expression finally realised the huge issue. "Wh-what's happening?"

Zane spoke up,"I believe it is called intellectualised shock, with a hint of delayed shock."

Kai didn't answer, he couldn't think of the words. Though he only knew of one vampire that might have done it. He span so around fast that Cole was near enough _nose to nose._ The master of earth took a half step back in response to Kai's proximity.

"You bite me huh? Is that it, couldn't control yourself, Cole?" Kai asked, his tone and stance now dark and threatening.

"Whoa, Kai, back off," Cole raised his hands in defence, relinquishing his grip somewhat. "If _I'd_ bitten you, you'd know wouldn't ya? I haven't eaten in, what six days?" he said, backing away and giving Kai some more space. Truthfully, if Cole had bitten him, he might not have been able to stop himself, he was ravenous, almost on the verge on starving.

The master of fire was still perilously close to his sister, until Cole came closer, pulling him further back from the trio that were staring on in shock. "What have you been drinking Kai?" Cole whispered into his ear. "It's the only other thing that might have turned you." He stood back again, Kai was showing emotional instability.

The master of fire, unbelieving of his situation still checked himself over for bite marks. He attempted to look in the mirror for marks on his neck but he grew increasingly frustrated at the lack of a reflection. He stood staring at himself in disbelief, trembling until his legs gave way underneath him. Cole held him up quickly.

"Stuff in the fridge and just w-water, I swear," he replied. Subconsciously, he started brushing his tongue across some impossibly sharp teeth and he gulped, his mouth snapped shut. "Shit!"

"Can someone please explain how this uh," Lloyd had stood up, bravely facing them. Though, when both bloodsuckers had turned to observe him, taking note of his tone and the firm deliverance that their normally righteous leader exuded. Lloyd quickly felt the colour drain from his face and he faltered. Their visages spooked him, throwing his train of thought of track. "I uh, Z-Zane?"

Cole looked hauntingly thin, not only that, but like he was struggling with the scent of blood in the air. He looked ready to pounce again, it was only Kai standing in front of him that was preventing his further advancement. Kai, was still stumbling over the remainder of his bed in an attempt to stare in disbelief again. And in doing so, providing a great human traffic block from allowing Cole the chance to sink his teeth in to both Lloyd and Nya.

Kai was sweating, with the new addition of pointed fangs on show. Almost like All Hallow's eve had come early and he was missing the rest of his caped outfit. Obviously he was still getting used to the fact his canines had grown exponentially, because he was flashing them without realising, his fingers not quite believing that they were his own.

Zane could sense the difficulty they were both facing, "Cole, calm down, you need to breath, slowly... You too Kai, take deep breaths, through your mouth instead." He was clear to suggest an alternate way, considering their over sensitised noses were picking up on the scent of Lloyd's blood. Nose breathing would further exacerbate their blood lust.

"I believe Lloyd wanted to know how _this_ could have happened?" Zane finished Lloyd's previous attempt at a courageous speech despite how fearful he felt.

"You all know my story, I drank David's blood and _no, Nya_ as I said earlier...I didn't know it was blood." Cole had to turn the other way, the sight and smell of Lloyd's own house red made him hungry, ravenous. And there were two incredibly tasty individuals in here that had exactly what he needed. Despite him turning, he could still hear their pulses racing, their elevated breathing rates, the blood circulating around their system, _surely they wouldn't miss a couple of pints?_

Kai, trying to calm himself, pulled his now _narcissist_ self away from the mirror, for the briefest of moments. "I-I just, "Kai looked back into the mirror, feeling his face and rubbing his eyes to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him. "I've not drank anyone's blood, not that I'm aware of."

"You've drank _something_ Kai!" Cole stated, _curtly._ "I didn't bite ya, no one else has, what other explanation is there?"

"I uh drank root beer that's all. I-I don't know how th-this... _happened_." Kai stated, now mostly in shock. The dawning realisation hit him like a wrecking ball to the gut and made him feel like every wisp of air from his lungs had vanished. He stood there, struggling to inhale, to exhale, to do anything but simply stare, or attempt to stare at his failing reflection. He was horrified, stunned, unable to form any more words.

"Well, this just got a lot more intense then?" Lloyd stated, annoyed. "Zane, do you mind?" He said pulling the master of ice down to his level so he could whisper something along the lines of 'Can you get us out of here safely, _NOW_?'

"I believe I can," Zane nodded, pulling both up. "If you'will excuse us, there is something we need to discuss downstairs. By all means though, please feel free to use my bed, you do sleep throughout the day, I believe?"

Neither Cole nor Kai said a word, they stared open mouthed as the trio of normal bloods walked past, huddled together closely with Zane acting as a security blanket. The master of ice wouldn't need to chaperone them all day though, the Frog brothers were due to arrive soon. Now, they'd have two more to deal with, as well as a missing person too.

Zane carefully started to close the door behind him, seeing the dual shocked faces of Cole and Kai behind the door before he closed it securely. He mouthed a silent apology, a sympathetic smile that Cole could only assume was of genuine concern. "We will notify you when they arrive, get some rest Cole, if you can!" He mouthed and then the door closed with a final click.


	33. Chapter 33

"Why me? Why did this have to happen to me?" He whined miserably in front of the mirror. Kai was getting angrier by the second.

"Why _you_? Kai, are you listening to yourself?"

"Gahh!"

" **KAI, SERIOUSLY.** " Cole groaned, then simultaneously cringed at the angered yell and unmistakable sound of a clenched fist hitting glass. His weary head was buried in the pillows, trying in earnest to shield his eyes from the rising sun as it breached the horizon and the sounds of his brother as he continued to wreck the room. "There's _**F**_ all you can do about it, so stop _pacing_ cos you'll wear the damn floor out and it'll be another thing we'll have to pay for."

The list of which was growing by the day...shingles, telephone wire, new blinds and bunk bed, Jay's bike... _to name but a few_.

Kai hadn't answered. He had just broken the mirror in a fit of rage. Now, the master of fire had taken to pacing the floor, and walking the same patch repeatedly. It was a bloody miracle that there were no scorch marks where he'd trodden.

Cole, on the other hand, had run out of energy. He had flopped onto Zane's bed in an attempt to conserve his depleting energy levels.

None of them knew what today would herald, so in all honesty, Cole wanted to get some shut eye in case he was called on. Truthfully, he knew that Lloyd would be too scared to take on a hive of vampires. Because simply, all four of David's brothers could easily over power him. If Lloyd showed just the smallest signs of weakness, they'd tear him to shreds, suck him dry and toss his carcass into the Pacific for the seagulls to peck at.

Looking at the alarm clock the time read 08:19, it was the only thing that hadn't been broken in the room. Cole could only hope that these 'Frog brothers' were late sleepers, he didn't much like the idea of being woken at 11, or 12, or 13:00.

Since being a vampire, _half or not_ , waking that early was the same feeling as being disturbed at 03:00am. So, it was with a heavy sigh, Cole pulled the pillow over his own head as Kai continued to pace and fume and pace and fume... _ad finitum._

Kai looked askance at his semi sleeping brother. Aggravation burning under his skin. He sauntered to the bed and cruelly wrenched the pillow from under Cole's head just as the equally moody vampire was bout to doze off. " **How. Can. You. Sleep?** " He yelled, enunciating every syllable with a hit from the pillow. "I'm a _freaking_ vampire and you're _okay_ with this?"

"Ugh KAI, what the heck?" Cole grabbed the pillow back with some force behind it. " ** _No_** , I'm not okay with it but there's nothing I can do is there? Come on dude...just _please_ , you need to rest."

" _ **I don't need to rest**_ ," Kai gritted out through clenched teeth, getting in Cole's face and ripping the pillow away from him. He threw the feathered rectangle clean across the room where it collided with the alarm clock, knocking it onto the floor along with everything else. "What I **_need_** is _answers_. I wanna know _why_ Donald had vampire blood in his fridge, I wanna know where Jay is and I wanna know why I'm a fucking **_vampire_** too." He exclaimed.

"Can you be certain it was _his_ stuff?" Cole reasoned, trying to calm his brother. To save from blowing his top, though he was getting there.

Kai sighed heavily. "Well uhhh, who's stuff is it gonna be? I mean, other than bottled water, and I'm guessing there's nothing in the water. _His_ rootbeer was the only other edible stuff around here."

Cole noted the heavy sarcasm in Kai's response, he didn't reply, just bit his tongue.

The master of fire slumped down on the mattress, the only remains of his bed. He was anything but calm, his bloodied fists still clenched. Staring out of the window, looking mournfully at the sun. "And, I wanna know if I'll ever be able to see that rise again?"

Looking from Zane's bed at the semi closed blinds, Cole rubbed his face. "If you can't control the cravings, then no. You'll never see it again."

"But for now," he said, grabbing a spare scatter, "-your eyes'll be sensitive and you'll need shades."

Cole's eyes were exceedingly heavy, still, he sat up and regarded his spiky haired brother with the respect he deserved when anxieties were aired. Kai was having a hard time getting used to the fact. He'd only just found out so his temper was bound to be frayed, they were at the best of times but now, he was a lit fuse wire away from a box of TNT.

At least Cole had the opportunity to get out of the house when he'd found out. He tried to find the answers he sought but he didn't find them, he got laid instead and ended up with the girl, at a huge cost... _Jay!_

Kai had span around fast. "You bit Jay didn't ya?"

"Wh-what?" Cole rubbed his bleary now sleep deprived eyes. "What are you talking about? I told ya, I didn't _touch_ him!"

"Isn't it highly suspicious though? You're a vampire.."

" _Half_ ," Cole corrected, quickly. "And, no, just because I'm a vampire doesn't mean I did it."

"You're a vampire, "Kai continued, unperturbed, " _You_ were the last one to see him alive."

"Oh, right, so this is about Jay is it?" Cole said, his expression had turned sour. "We're gonna go down that route again are we? So, because I made the wrong choice, you think _I_ did it, huh?" He sat up, now holding his head in his hands. " _Actually_ , **Kai...** Nya was the last one, but you didn't believe her because your clues dried up and you'd found nothing to suggest otherwise. So you kinda decided she was more than likely making it up because it's so hard to believe that she might have been telling the truth."

"The clues dried up because there weren't any to begin with, except for Jay's bike and jacket, both of which you came back with."

"Whoa, doesn't mean I was culpable for his disappearance."

"You aren't innocent either. Like I said, you were there the first time. Whether I believe Nya or not, still doesn't let you off the hook. You were the one that put him at risk, you left him there."

"Shut up Kai. You've found nothing that's gonna help bring him back."

"Hark who's talking. You found zilch at the cave because you're too chicken shit to stand up to them. Haa, you hadn't even got the balls to defend those people at the beach last night," he scoffed, regretting the words as soon as they'd left his mouth.

He really wanted to swear, to tell Kai to _do one_ , but he refrained at the last second, choosing to mutter under his breath instead. " _Least I got a possible lead_." Cole grumbled, eyes downcast.

Kai bit his lip, shying away from the sun as it shone onto the meadow behind the house. Lowering the wooden blinds in response to the brightness. He looked back at his brother and saw the look of hurt. Cole didn't look like he could take any more stress, not without crumbling under the intense strain of it all. Truth be told, Kai had been equally as shocked as Lloyd when the master of earth had divulged the true horror of what he'd seen and been a part of. Most of all, what David was, what those guys did with their prey and where they dumped the half eaten carcasses.

Sharing was caring after all, Zane was insistent in hearing all the details. It took a few hours and a phone call for advice but it was all in the open, Cole had told his family, because they had a right to know what they would all be up against.

Kai bit his lip, looking back up again. Hell, Cole had lost his best friend and his mortal life, _to a certain extent_. He changed his tone somewhat, an apology of sorts, without actually mentioning the word ' _sorry_ '. "Well, we believed her enough to go and scope out the place though."

Cole hadn't answered, he just lay back and stared at the ceiling. A heavy sigh was the only audible sign that he was listening. Though his attention was slowly waning.

"You found nothing, likewise with us and the video store." Kai was biting his fingernails. Something he rarely did save for times of extreme stress.

 _Speak for yourself, hothead._ He thought, shoving the scatter under his head. He turned onto his side to observe as Kai began to slow his pacing. It was a makeshift pillow as Kai had tossed the other one, in fact, Kai had tossed the bed covers too.

"Ya know, we're not strong enough like this."

"Like what?" Kai asked, curiously. Observing his bleeding knuckles, purposefully avoiding licking them in-case he became a full blown vampire.

"Half vampire and mortal!" Cole replied. "We need a plan. And, I know for one, that Lloyd ain't gonna like it."

"What type of plan?" Kai asked, "Are ya gonna let me in on it?"

"Are ya gonna promise not to blow your top?"

Kai shrugged.

 _No change there then._ Cole thought. "Kai, we're only half vampires, right? We've not made our first kill, drank a mortal's blood?"

"Haa, _supposedly_ ," He cocked his eyebrow at Cole. "I guess you're not including Jay in that first kill, right?"

Cole ignored his own inner beast, the one that wanted to tear Kai's head off. Licking his teeth in frustration. "I'd never do that to Jay, he was my best friend."

" _Was_ , being the operative word here?"

"Wh-what?" Cole did a double take. "I-I told you it wasn't me."

"Oh that's right, you're blaming David and his brothers aren't ya?" A dark laugh fell from Kai's lips, he shook his head in disappointment.

"Uh, yeah because mmmm, they're the vampires, duh, and as you can quite clearly see, I can _still_ go out in sunlight." He sighed heavily.

What's this lame ass plan then?"

Cole rolled his eyes. "It's not lame, it's about what we are...half vampires?"

"Yeah and?"

"You feel stronger already don't ya?" Cole asked. "Struggling to control the anger and rage inside, right?"

"A little."

"Well, imagine if we got Lloyd and Nya on our side? We'd be able to take on David and his brothers, we'd be unstoppable?"

Kai recoiled, his frown deepening. "You serious?"

"Deadly." An unidentifiable expression lurked in his dark features as Cole nodded.

"Wow, never thought I say this but...I think you've lost the plot. You're insane, there's no way in hell that I'd let you near Nya, you'd still have to get past the dog to even think of sinking your teeth into Lloyd. God, why am I even entertaining this stupid idea?"

Cole groaned again. ' _You'd be the same, if you saw what I did.'_ Eventually, he'd turned his back on Kai. Even though the fire master had continued to mutter to himself, he was reluctant to rest. Cole thought that maybe one of them would have some energy if these weird Frog brothers didn't pull through as Lloyd was hoping they would.

* * *

 _ **Monday mid morning**_

 _ **Location: Downstairs**_

Lloyd had expected these teenage brothers to arrive on their BMX bikes, they were after all the same age as he was, so it wasn't like they could drive up here. He wasn't disappointed in the slightest when they'd both raced up Donald's dusty driveway at 11am. Dumping their bikes unceremoniously at the front porch steps, where a tangle of peddles, wheels and frames now stood. He'd seen them racing up here, though how they'd managed to do that from Santa Carla town centre was impressive to say the least, considering the hilly terrain. Maybe, he thought; they knew a short cut. Either way, Lloyd was happy with their determination and tenacity to get this plan going, to sort out the vamp trouble once and for all.

Lloyd had opened the door before they had a chance to know, not that they would have done anyway. They looked to be in too much of a rush to likely that they'd simply barge on in, like they owned the place.

The Frog Brothers; Edgar and Alan, had entered the main front room looking up and down the dark place with intrigue. Lloyd, Zane and Nya immediately noted their attire. Both Edgar and Allan Frog were dressed like Rambo lookalikes, Edgar more so. He even had the blue head strap to keep his overly long mullet from his line of sight. They were dressed from head to toe in camouflage gear, doubled up with NATO green cargo pants. Alan was in his trademark AAF flight cadet suit. It was funny to see for Lloyd, they'e even maintained military deception by applying the same pattern of camo to their faces.

"Okay," Edgar said, pushing Lloyd to the side gently, eyes searching the place for any signs of what he deemed a vampire. "Where's Nosferatu?"

Lloyd frowned in confusion. "Who?"

Zane was about to cut in and answer on behalf of Lloyd but Edgar was on a roll.

"Prince of darkness?" He said, trying to gauge if Lloyd knew who he was talking about.

"Night crawler, the blood sucker." Alan offered, no humour to his words.

"El vampiro?" Edgar added, his expression difficult to read. "The one who knows where their nest is?"

Lloyd, finally understood, he turned toward the stairs and shouted as loudly as he could, "Cole!" Yelling loudly in the hope of rousing the brooding ninja of blood lust to waken and come with. "Cole, they're here." His voice carried like a echo around the room and elsewhere in the house came a very unhappy groan.

He turned back to face both dark haired teenagers, "One other things guys," He bit his lip nervously. "we've got a problem, Kai's been turned too,"

Edgar and Alan's eyebrows quirked, they simply nodded slowly at each other. Edgar spoke. "One at a time,if the other vamp didn't drink the lead vampire's blood then there's another nest we need to know about. We need to know where the're getting this stuff from."

Lloyd nodded, "COLE, come on, time to go buddy."

* * *

 **RandomDragon: You make Loki laugh, I shall spare you...as long as you keep up with the character chat reviews.**

 **MoC: Kai's far from okay XD. He's losing it big time. Guessing being a vamp makes them moody?**

 **I reckon two more chapters before the Max x Misako date chapter.**


	34. Chapter 34

His astute auditory senses prickled and he paused trying to pick up the fragmented splinters of wood. Instinctively, Kai span on his heels, thinking that someone was behind him, in the same room.

The hairs stood up on his neck. It was hugely disconcerting to hear such clarity when it seemed so much closer than it was. The sound was clear enough,that he could four delicate footfalls approaching Donald's front door. One seemed heavier set than the other, like maybe one was carrying something. The door being rapped soon jolted him from his confusion at what he was hearing. Before he'd even left the room, he could sense a female perfume, a light floral fragrance not masculine at all. Once out in the hallway, Kai took a quick glance around. He was the only one up here, except for Nanook; the dog. The mutt could be heard growling the closer Kai got to Donald's bedroom door.

Kai had barely walked past Donald's door and he could already tell the dog was baring its fangs. He smirked, at least Lloyd had thought to keep the Malamute locked in Donald's bedroom whilst they'd gone out. The dog, he'd found out, was _extremely_ protective of Lloyd and Donald, in fact Nanook was protective of Nya and Zane too. Lloyd had never explained why, but Kai had a rough idea, it stemmed from the night Jay disappeared.

"Uh, hello guys?" Kai called out, not expecting any sort of decent response other than a grunt but even that didn't come. Though any response would have been nice, at least then they could have answered the damned door.

"Hang on, I'm coming down." Kai grumbled, not caring in the slightest if they could hear him or not. Slightly grateful Donald didn't have a door bell because that would be another sound he'd have to contend with. The door rapped again and his jaw clenched, these people weren't very patient. He didn't rush though, just grabbed a hoodie and pulled it on over his bare chest, the hood pulled up and over his bedraggled hair.

He still hadn't styled it, only the back looked flattened.

Now it was obvious, he was the only one here. He vaguely remembered that the majority had mentioned about going to the cave. He wasn't sure why they'd go there during daylight anyway. It wasn't like Cole had found any clues so he wondered what possible reason they'd have to go in again?

He shrugged his shoulders. Making his slow descent down the solid wooden stairs. The scent of perfume only seemed to intensify down here, but it wasn't Nya's fragrance. His sister wasn't even here. Thankfully, Nya said that she would be going back into town to look for Jay again.

At least she'd be safe from Cole and his audaciously reckless idea to change everyone into him. Obviously in Cole's mind, it might have worked to make everyone stronger. But the new ninja of blood hadn't really thought it through, there were serious side effects, some huge issues that would hinder his plan.

 _How were you planning on doing it huh? You bite Lloyd or Nya, you'll be a full vampire...ergo unstoppable and we'd have to take you down too._

His stomach rumbled again. Now sympathy for how Cole felt. Kai was so hungry but at the same time, he was repulsed at the thought of biting into a human. "There's gotta be another way, something we've not thought of yet."

The door rapped again.

"Hang on," he growled, now groping around for something to shield his eyes. They were just as sensitive as Cole had forewarned, his retinae ached with the strain of peering through the peep hole.

Pulling the door open ajar, he poked his head round. "Can I help you?" Kai rubbed his face tiredly. Opening the door a crack, and straining his eyes under the mid day sun.

He had borrowed the only pair of mirror lens aviator glasses he could find. And they were currently perched on the bridge of his nose, a wonky angle to them.

He opened the door and he was a little stunned to see a young woman wearing a wide brimmed hat. She was young, from what he could tell. Certainly well developed in the aspects of a female. Though her clothing choice left a lot to be desired in the fashion sense. She looked like a gardener, had sturdy gloves on and a long sleeved thick top, not an ounce of skin was on show to the sun, her face was the only skin he could see. She was deathly pale under the hat and Kai wondered if she'd ever seen sunlight. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"Shopping delivery?" She said, readjusting the bags on her hips enough to grasp the small clipboard with a list on it.

"You just want to stare or are gonna invite me in?" She asked tersely. Now looking up at the man before her as she held four full brown paper bags of groceries. Struggling to juggle the awkward shaped packages.

Kai's hand was still on the door, his other on the frame. The frame was holding him up some, otherwise, he'd likely fall out onto the porch face first because of how bone tired he felt. "Who's the delivery for?" He grumbled, as the clipboard was thrust into his stomach. He caught it in time before the thing could make contact with his abs.

"Who do you think it's for?" The other female replied, cockily. " _Lucifer_!"

His eyebrow raised at her abrupt rudeness. he wasn't expecting that.

"Mr Donald, he usually has his groceries delivered," The female answered, with a hint of a genuine smile. "Name's Sky, please, this stuff's heavy and it's hela hot out here."

Kai passed to the side, begrudgingly. "You're invited then," He looked at the other female, and noted that she was hauling smaller crates of what looked suspiciously, like more root beer bottles. "Hmm, he seems perfectly capable of getting out to me?"

"Call it community service," She said as she took the food to the kitchen and proceeded to place it in the cupboards and Frigidaire. "So what's your name then, haven't seen you around here before?"

"I've been here for almost a week now," He countered, leaning against the wall. Checking her profile shamelessly, eyes roving up and down, until she span round rapidly and narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're very guarded, aren't you?" She said as she walked past and placed the fruit in the wire racks. "You normally this cautious around those you don't know?"

"Force of habit, comes with the territory," Kai shrugged. His arms were still folded tightly across his breast. "You normally just expect to be let in then, get your own way?"

She stopped and turned towards him, sunglasses still firmly placed despite being inside, "I do and yes," A cheeky grin on her face. "Like I said, most of our customers are a lot more talkative than you are, hmm?"

Kai could tell she was looking for a hint of a name.

"Should I just give you a name?" She said, folding the paper bags as each was emptied. "I can think of a few that might suit ya."

"My name's Kai," He stated, not wanting to entertain her.

"Oh, and here's me thinking you wanted to play a little game?" Skylor replied, mock hurt.

"Sorry, I don't usually let strangers in off the streets and then try and hold conversation with them for the sake of it."

"You're young, I get it. Different generation I guess. Elder people are more trusting."

Kai didn't move at all, just watched as these two girls proceeded to put everything away. He didn't offer to help, he figured he'd only be in the way.

""You staying all summer, _shy_?" The purple haired female asked.

"It's _Kai_ ," He corrected, sternly. "And, we had been planning to _until_..." He bit his lip, not wanting to divulge anymore. He didn't know these girls from Adam and he was damned if he was going to spill their joint troubled secrets as a whole to some complete strangers.

"Until?" Sky repeated. "Has something happened, you don't like it here?"

"Maybe, it's because they've not been shown the real side of SC." The other female suggested.

Kai stiffened his stance. Both girls were looking in his direction after having put the groceries away. Scrutinising, looking for clues as to why this young man was so reticent with his answers.

"Ooh, Cammie, we have a party tomorrow, you think we can extend the invite?"

The purple haired female looked over at him. She began to approach, joining Sky's side, scrutinising the hooded man with a distinctly unimpressed look. "He's a bit quiet though, you sure you want him to come?"

Kai felt uncomfortable but retained his dark moody stance, not caring in the slightest if she said no. He couldn't give a rat's ass, either way.

"I like him, I think we could make him enjoy S.C a little more."

"S.C?" Kai uttered.

"Santa Carla," Skylor reached into her back jeans pocket. She retrieved a crimson red envelope and, rather than handing it to the young man, she left it on the counter.

He already looked tense, and she didn't want to annoy him further. "It's a plus one," she said, slyly.

Kai didn't respond, but his eyes grazed over the envelope with a sense of intrigue.

"Is that everything then? You done here?" He asked, arms still folded.

"Yep, we're done. It's obvious you aren't going to give a tip of offer refreshments, there's no point in hanging around for longer than we need."

He sighed in exasperation. "Does Donald usually give you a tip, you fleece him out of of more dollars that way?"

Chamille looked taken aback at Kai's blunt words. "We don't get paid for this shit, ass hole."

"Let me guess, you do this from the kindness of your own heart? How cliche." Kai said, disinterested in the sounds of disgust coming from the potty mouthed purple haired bitch.

"We do, until we run into machismo pricks like you. Then we kinda question our own mentality."

He frowned at her. She was fiery tempered, not one to mince her sharp words. "Fine, I'll give you a tenner, _for all your hard work?"_ He said, mocking the woman with purple hair. "That appease you?"

Fishing through the wallet, he plucked out a ten and placed it on the counter. He slid it across to the one who had red hair, saying no more, he leaned back against the door frame. He watched as she took it and both her and her companion left the kitchen without saying a word.

Before they left the house, a thought had come to his mind. He didn't grab the redhead's arm though, she might take offence to such a gesture, instead he sat on the couch as they let themselves out. "Why do ya wear that whole get up?"

Skylor looked down at herself, she was completely covered. "Sensitive skin," She replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Kai didn't know if she was being serious or not. He highly doubted that both had the same sensitive skin issue, "And her, the one with attitude, what's her deal?"

Skylor squinted out of the window. "Same, she's just tired." The woman in question, Chamile, she was already in the truck, blacked out windows obscuring her face. "Kai, think about the invite. You'll meet loads of people at the party, tomorrow night if you're interested. Details are all inside the envelope."

"Thanks." He said, watching her leave from the corner of his eye. He didn't offer to let her out.

She shut the door behind her and walked the short distance to get into the truck.

He only got up once he'd heard their truck start. He could still hear them chatting to each other. Something along the lines of Kai playing hard to get, being all moody and thinking he was God's gift to women. Kai smirked at that. Even raised his eyebrow at Skylor's admission that she found him cute.

Rather than go back into the kitchen to look at the envelope and enclosed party invite, he went to the fridge and took out one solitary bottle of root beer from the newly stocked 'Old Fart' shelf. He didn't drink it though. Just looked at it deceptively, then back at the invite again.

Something clicked.

His eyes widened. "Oh shit!"

* * *

 **Loki carries a sceptre, though, I must say 'twas stolen away. Now I wield the Gungnir staff.**

 **RandomDragon: very hilarious report. I may spare those ninja, for now...I have my eyes on Jay though.**

 **MoC: XD Thanks, as every your sweetness knows no bounds.**


	35. Chapter 35

_**Somewhere along the coastal road.**_

 _ **Monday before sunrise.**_

* * *

There was no doubt about it, _in Jay's mind_.

This place, stank like earth, rot and decay,. He thought that maybe it was the people that lived here.

The only saving grace for being nasally assaulted from the stench was the cedar wood moth. Though, now he had become accustomed to that too. The strong smell permeated his nose yet again, when the door was unlocked.

He gulped when it was wrenched open. Looking up, he saw two burly females, both with a crazed look in their eyes.

Suddenly and without warning, he was hoisted to his feet by the same two deceptively strong women.

He really wanted to say something humourous, to lighten the dark ominous mood. But these women weren't talking and his mouth had dried up of wit. But then, nothing about this situation warranted any verbalisation. If he was honest with himself, he didn't want to waste any valuable energy on letting them know how angry he was.

Rather than say something crude or witty, he chose to bite his tongue. His only company for that moment, and the nights he had been kept here, was his mind, but even that was beginning to betray him with solemn thoughts and depressing home truths, and most of these were circling around his girlfriend and his brothers.

 _She wasn't there, nobody was._

Had Nya forgotten about him or worse, hadn't they believed her?

He shuddered, accepting that whatever was about to happen, wouldn't last too long. Jay was thinking that after they did whatever they were going to do, that he'd be brought back to his room, then given the opportunity to sleep again, because that was all he seemed to do...sleep.

"A change of scenery hhmm?" He asked, looking around the dark upper hallway.

He was slowly walked passed a long corridor before being hauled down a dark staircase. He noted that these two were exceptionally gentle with him. Treating him like a special object, something breakable and fragile. Course, he didn't know what to expect or even where they were taking him. Jay just had a growing sense of dread as they had heaved him out of his own prison.

 _I had no choice...he brought me back here.'_

* * *

He could feel himself being dragged by another female. His legs too tired to hold him up, he could at least see where he was going. "Why are you..." He struggled against her. "Why are you doing th-this?"

Jay could tell this older woman was smiling. The sound of her voice seemed so much more _sarcastic_. Not that he'd heard her speak all that much. Most of what she said was behind closed doors. Which, happened to be where he was headed right at that moment. Thankfully, he'd not been thrown down the stairs, though he was expecting that at some point.

Maybe a deterrent to stop him from attempting to escape. After all, broken limbs would prevent anyone from a fast getaway.

Looking around the place, Jay saw it was a basement, surrounded by cold bare plaster walls. He gulped when he noted the wall, there were very obvious splatters on the wall of what he could only assume was dried blood. Additionally, chains were attached to the same stretch of stained plaster, with a chair underneath. Jay assumed the chair was for when the captured sexual deviant lacked any more energy. Because, honestly why else would an older woman have all these things on her walls?

He had no longer to think on it when he was pushed up against the wall, harder than was necessary. He grunted but didn't say a thing in response as to the rough manhandling. He'd become accustomed to similar during training and patrols. This was what he'd consider a power play, to see who would break under pressure first.

Missing the opportunity of using his element. Jay found his hands were quickly bound and stretched out with rope, at least it wasn't metal. Metal had the ability to inflict damage to the skin. Rope just burnt, in fact, rope was easier to fray and destroy than metal was. "Kinky, I like it." Jay replied, sarcastically. He started in earnest and began rubbing one wrist against the bare wall, to gain some friction on the individual twines that bound him helplessly.

It could have been worse, he wasn't in any crucifixion pose. That stress position was rumoured to induce asphyxiation because the lungs would not have the capacity to inflate. A small thing Zane had told him. Small wonder having a nerdy brain box in the family. The only issue with this position was that although he could move his arms up and down six inches he couldn't pull them forwards.

Moving his right hand slowly, purposely, he grit his teeth as his skin came into contact with the plaster. It began to scratch almost immediately, layers of skin being lost with each rough stroke. He paused when she turned to face him.

"You like a bit of pain do you?" She asked, opening the door. Her females all came into the room. All eyeing him with a look of hunger on their faces.

Nervously and with a growing sense of unease, he turned to the voice. "I'm not a huge fan. I kinda try to avoid it in my line of expertise."

"Well, you might have to _grin and bear this then?_ " An aged female voice offered. Cold and malicious in tone. She grabbed his other hand and rubbed it hard against the bare wall. A thin smear of blood and skin now residing there.

He bit his lip hard and hissed at the force, his knuckles began bleeding instantly. The pain reminded him of road rash, the instantaneous burn he felt the last time he fell off his bike directly onto asphalt.

" _ **Golly gee**_ thanks," Jay put on his best fake smile, not daring to look at the expressions of homicidal glee etched onto the majority of females closing in on him.

"Just a little starter to get things going." She said.

"And by things, y-you mean?"

She didn't answer him, instead she licked the blood from his knuckles. Watching his eyes widen in horror as her face looked full of pleasure when she lapped it up.

"You still haven't grasped it yet have you?" She asked.

"I-I, grasped what? That you loada psycho's like to keep me locked up here?" He continued scratching away at the rope, the wetness he knew to be his blood. It was coating the wall.

"What we are and why _you're_ here?"

"I don't give a flying fu-"

She'd almost ripped his arms from the sockets in response when she pulled the ropes tighter.

The pain forced upon his body had used his element as a defence mechanism, it only served to annoy her. The sight of electrical currents from his body sent her hair into a static frizzy mess. Although, it wasn't that noticeable, her hair was frizzy and grey to begin with. If anything, it gave her hair more volume. The resulting singed smell helped to temporarily mask the scent of death, the same smell that seemed to follow her wherever she went.

Fearfully, he turned away from the breath. It reminded him of the butchers shops. There was nothing worse than walking past the abattoirs as the dead carcasses had been stripped of their meat. Because the offending and accompanying scent would be disgusting. The smelly meatless bones would be sent to the glue factories, the further stench from that was awful.

The smell of festering rot was so strong, all he could do was turn his head from her and keep his eyes squeezed shut.

Jay cringed at her strength. At least her brute strength had worn away a few strands of rope. She'd purposefully started the process for him, though the sight of his blood on the wall had the females closing in on him, for reasons he was yet to understand.

"Do it!" The eldest female ordered.

One procured a kitchen knife and Jay's eyes widened as she approached him with it. Gulping nervously as she walked up to him, he thought maybe small talk would slow down his imminent death. "Sorry, it's tough to be a gentleman when you're trussed up like this."

She said nothing but got closer still.

Jay was partially grateful that she wasn't holding it in a downward stabbing fashion, although, it would hurt no less if it was driven straight in at this angle. "Ha, uh y-you better be good with that," he said, looking down at the blade.

He could see her hands were shaking. "I aint gonna go easy." He cringed, thinking to himself that Seppuku and self-annihilation would have been preferable to this, _whatever this was_. However, he lacked the basic components of being able to do that. A katana and free hands. He had neither.

"I'm not going to cut you, I'm just taking your clothes off."

 _Great, and that sounds so much better._

She was gentle as she stated. The blade was sharp and it cut through the toughened shirt in a fashion that meant he would never be wearing it again. The shirt was removed and she moved on to his lower half, pulling the garments down. She stood, disposing of the offending items and standing back in her place behind the matriarch.

The elder woman was so gentle when she turned his face to hers. "You won't turn to stone, if you look at me. But-" She paused and pried one eye open, "It'll act as a deterrent for trying to escape again."

He wouldn't mind, but he'd only tried to escape the once. Late last night. He had almost been successful too. Jay had made it onto the main road somehow. Bright car lights blared into his eyes, the dizzying effect made him stumble as he fought the drugged haze. He fell onto his knees and who should show up and help him: Nicole. She was on her way back from work, having purposefully lied to his brothers the previous afternoon.

It was a pitiful attempt, but it showed his determination.

"Breath-mints would be a good start for you ya know..." He said, rolling his eyes and focusing on the ceiling. _Anywhere_ was preferable to the horror of looking at her face again. Unfortunately, looking upwards for an extended duration was enough to bring on eye strain. After a minute of painfully straining his eyes, he caught a glimpse and he held his breath. He didn't dare let on that he was terrified of what stood before him.

This bitch was huge. She was easily as tall as Cole, maybe more so and the thing had muscles too, muscles on top of muscles, she was a steroid ridden buff thing, that Jay thought may have once resembled some type of female... _possibly_.

But her skin...it was a lifeless grey, marbled and transparent. The veins that rain across her exposed arms and face were pure sickly black. Her circulatory system had stopped producing blood years ago, now only insipid black goop swam through them. Her appearance was only made worse by the rows of sharp teeth when she opened her mouth, that and the two devilishly long canines at the top of her jaw. "Baby, you look at me like that and I think you might like to spend the night with me.

He shuddered at the thought. He'd rather spend the night in a coffin with a long dead skeleton than with this creature.

"Oh my dear, if we spent the night together I fear I may eviscerate you."

His mind tried to figure out the words. Evisceration wasn't a word he was overly familiar with, considering he'd never committed it on another person. Harakiri was similar, though only performed on the self as an act of suicide. Something he was grimly considering if he could get hold of a blade, long enough.

"You see, you're such a delicate thing and yet such a delectable feast for my girls it would be such a shame."

His stomach lurched and he nearly released the meagre contents of what he'd consumed earlier. "I'd rather die than spend anymore time in this shit hole," he hissed out quickly and wrenched his head from her grasp.

"And here's me thinking that you were enjoying it here," She laughed, mercilessly.

"Can you grin and bear it?" She repeated. "Or would you rather be sleeping and thinking of this as a bad dream?"

Jay looked down at his feet. Her fingers had finally left his eyelids, allowing them them to close naturally. "T-to do that would be to a-accept it!"

She placed a blindfold, "Accept it because you have to? This might be better."

Jay had twisted his head away from her. The fabric was placed and tied behind his head gently. "I don't have to accept it."

"You don't, it's true... But, I can make a hard man humble and submissive, Jay." She turned to her females. "Shall we start girls?"

Jay tensed in his restraints, his right fist was still rubbing against the wet wall. The rope was at least beginning to fray and loosen, he was making some progress.

She motioned them to start. "We don't like to play with our food, do we girls? David, does. I can only guess that Max didn't train him well enough."

"Accept it Jay, no-one's coming for you!"

His defiance stronger than ever, though his resolve was crumbling. "I won't accept it-" he hissed out.

The blind fold was only keeping so much away, "-And, you'll never get me to grin." He replied. "EVER!"

"Here," she ordered, prodding various areas on the inner side of his forearms. "You use this area, makes him look like a user."

"He is one _now_!" Chamile hissed, "but it makes the blood so much tastier. You get more of a hit, mmm."

He chuckled, despite the pain of having his arms prodded. "Y-you know nothing about me, you think you do, but you know nothing!" Jay felt someone on each arm, grasping it tightly.

"Mmmm, wh-what is that smell?" He said in a barely audible gasp, "smells like a joint!"

"Just a little something to relax you. Something illicit with a hint of the dead." She said, cryptically. "You are right though, it's just dipped and infused with embalming fluid."

"You sick fu..." then there was nothing but crushing pain to his arms. It was almost too much to bear and Jay, the master of lightning let out a blood curdling scream in response. His breathing calmed as the numbness took over his arms again and left him feeling like he had pins and needles. "God damnit...I'm not your personal platter ya know, I've got rights!"

"Small amounts remember, we are civil here. Unlike those brutes, Max's sons are unruly and lack civility."

The pain lessened and he felt something entirely different as he felt female hands grasp his face.

It suddenly triggered. They were sucking his blood, in large amounts. They were the sole reason he felt so wiped out, they had been feasting on him since Max had brought him back here. Though he didn't show his fear, he kept up the false pretence that he was taking everything in his stride. "You, you're vampires."

"Finally figured it out huh?" The elder female asked.

Jay didn't answer her question, just kept on with his own train of thought. "Kinda thought it was a joke," he mumbled, tipping his head back. His jaw occasionally clenching. "Blood suckers, the lowest of the low, leeches?"

"Silence him." The elder said, evidently offended at being called a joke.

Another's females lips went crashing onto his but he fought valiantly. She bit his lips hard, and he groaned into her mouth, he couldn't do it anywhere else.

As expected, his tongue tasted the substance now on his own lips and in his mouth. It was him, all him. It was horrendous, she was getting as much as she could and he could tell she was holding back, they all were. In a sense, he was grateful for their delayed gratification techniques. If it wasn't for the ugly one, they'd have sucked him dry by now. He made the mistake of leaving his tongue in such proximity of hers and before he knew it that too had been ensnared by her ravenous teeth and mouth. She sucked it hard, his mouth was issuing so much blood that it left his head feeling dizzy.

That was until she broke the kiss.

An unhealthy amount of blood spilled from his mouth. Though he couldn't see his current dire state, Jay smirked in his blindfolded. "I'm all for a little adventurous stuff in the bedroom, but I don't think my girlfriend will be best pleased about this." He moaned out loud and bit his cheek in response. The only part of his mouth that wasn't bleeding. "She likes to be in charge."

He realised his tongue was swollen slightly, to be expected. She had just bitten it.

He laughed to himself, simultaneously throwing his head back. "I-I always thought vampires were a made up thing or a horror story character, not real, guess you'll be saying that werewolves are real too huh?"

"He likes to talk doesn't he, Nicole?" The matriarch spoke. She turned to face the curly haired girl who watched with pity. "I don't think you sucked hard enough. Maybe next time suck it until he can't talk anymore. in fact, a gag for tomorrow?"

The pain returned in his arms, like a wave of torment, cresting with another feeling that took him completely by surprise, "Nnngh, you saving some room for desert huh?"

"You use sarcasm and jokes to cover up the fact that you're lonely, don't you?"

"Nnngh, NO". Jay growled out, "I'm not lonely!"

"No one's coming for you!"

One of the girls began taunting him. Singing a cringey 80's tune. "Alone, how do I get you alone."

His bottom lip began quivering. "Th-they don't know I'm here, you stupid fucks!" He scoffed, pulling his face out of her grasp.

"Oh don't worry, they soon will." She was curious. He was trying to escape his bonds, damaging his own skin in the process, a thought came to her and she wondered if he could switch off to pain. "How much pain can you take, hmm?"

He didn't want to go there, down that route of pain thresholds and giving out when it all became too much. He didn't want to think about that at all.

"You think you're strong don't you?"

"I am." Finally there was a small smile, some remaining defiance shining through her tortured hold of him. "I-I'm an elemental master, an ass kicking ninja." He felt her lips trail down his body and he began to panic. "A-a sweet _slice_ of pain, with a sharp hint of the devil's whip." He bit his damaged lip harder than usual and cringed as the feeling of blood again trailed off his chin to settle and join the rest on his exposed chest.

"So, do you know the other places these effluent lowlifes use? People off the streets?" She questioned her other females, whilst completely ignoring him.

"You mean a-affluent?" Jay gasped as he felt warm breath somewhere entirely inappropriate.

She shook her head, cracking her neck slightly, "Haa, no! You see, you almost look like a _waif_ now, wouldn't seem right to not make it look and _feel_ more _realistic, least for you_."

"Y-you wouldn't dare!" Jay spat. He jumped out of his skin when he felt a cold hand grasping at him. The feeling was akin to being the last piece of fillet mignon on the butchers rack, she wasn't gentle in the slightest when and where she grabbed.

Another young woman had grabbed his unused arm, wrapping a tourniquet tightly around his left bicep. "If he looks like one, he'll need to act like one too!"

His breath hitching, as the tourniquet was pulled tight. His brachial artery swelled within seconds, standing bright blue against his pale skin. "Pl-please _don't_ ,"

Jay panicked at that thought, he'd never experienced nor experimented with illicit substances before. Only ever heard bad things, terrible things. Withdrawal and addiction being the worst and obviously he knew that drugs were incredibly bad. But what could he do, he was being held against his will.

Two things he knew; firstly the feeling of the needle as it punctured his skin and the remarkably quick yet subtle feeling of being strung out. And secondly; Her teeth were about to sink somewhere very painful. "You're all gonna regret this, every last one of you...GAHHH!"

It was such a loud response that there was no wonder this woman lived so far away from civilisation. Jay screamed until he had no energy left, until the breath had left his lungs and his cerebellum kicked in to restart the breathing process all over again.

She removed the blindfold. He needed to know what defiance would get him.

Barely conscious, he could still hear their voices. They were drifting in and out like some cheesy sounding horror flick. It was a feeling similar to dunking his head underwater but minus the panic attack that would accompany near drowning or waterboarding. This, he was vaguely aware of, was either his consciousness slipping away or sleep and tiredness claiming him.

"It only took you what? Three days to work that out, not very intuitive are you? Not to worry though." She pushed another one of her female vampires into a kneeling position at Jay's front. "We'll soon have your whole family here, then maybe...just maybe, we'll turn you too!"

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It was a good job he was so far out of it. The place she bit hard would likely be out of commission for a good few weeks now. "I-I w-would rather eat shit and die than watch you tr-try and turn _them_ into your s-sick twisted Brady bunch f-family." He stared down at it. "You're all, insane!"

Her tone dropped, "Oh don't worry yourself. Max has expressed a fondness for the older woman. Once he turns her, the rest will follow!" Suddenly she came across as maternal and caring but the words she used were anything but.

"A-and then what?" Jay asked in a half drained state. "What happens next?"

She chuckled, the sound growing in intensity. "They're only half vampires until they make their first kill," she replied. "Or feed on blood for the first time."

"They'll fight it and then they'll take you down too."

"Haa, you really think _they_ will be able to stop _us_?"

He struggled in his restraints. Face deadly serious, he almost spat his own blood at her as he hissed the words. "They're stronger than y-you think. They would never give in!"

"They will if it means rescuing one of their own!"

A small hint of positivity came to light. His face looked hopeful.

She had cruelly laughed at him, thinking he had meant himself because the smallest hint of a smile had brought some positivism to his expression, "Oh no, no, no. You thought I meant you? No, I mean Misako."

The woman kneeling at Jay's front was still sucking his blood, amongst other things, but despite this and the pain, he focused on what she was saying. At least to get more answers, to buy himself more time. "So, is it a _venom_ that you guys use?" He said, gritting his teeth as he felt teeth biting into him everywhere. "Do ya use it to change, to make other's into your type?"

"I'm sorry, what? Did you say ' _venom'_?" She asked, with a dark laugh, "We're vampires, not snakes." Her lip curled up as if the thought was completely distasteful.

Jay's expression couldn't be clearly seen for the amount of blood on his face obscured his facial cues. It was evident, he was clueless about vampires. He'd only just found out they were real, in the most painful way.

"Okay-" She said, pausing from sucking an area with some vigour on his upper arm, the effect of which had left a large purple love bite, _quite literally_. "-I _have_ to ask - where on earth did you get your information from, about vampires?"

Jay was mildly embarrassed not that the colour could be seen anymore, he looked anaemic. "A-a comic book! Nnghh." He threw his head back so fast it collided with something solid. The drugs kept the pain away, even the headache that loomed and the feeling of wetness as it dribbled down the back of his neck.

"I-if ya wanted to do that, y-you coulda jus asked. I'm partial to that too ya know? There was no need for teeth an stuff! Coulda just sucked like most people do."

"It won't leave a mark and neither will the lower legs. Remember girls, no arteries, veins only. If you do it right this one will keep producing indefinitely." She placed a dressing and pulled his pyjamas up, fastening them tight.

* * *

Max had walked in, he was pleasantly surprised by their restraint and delayed gratification techniques. The Woman had certainly taught them well. "Mmm a feast has been had?" He noted looking the young man up and down. Blood trailed over him but it was being licked off just as fast. The look that Jay shot him was of pure hatred and disgust. It was clear to see that this restrained young man wanted to kill him, it made it all the more sweeter.

"Indeed, you know the only problem with killing?" He said loudly enough for the female vampire's to hear, "You have to find somewhere to keep the remains."

The older woman nodded in recognition, "The cave, David's nest. It's scattered with the remains of the dead. They're piled high with them and the scent of decay is so pungent you can smell it from the coastal road."

He had walked across to the limply restrained man and gave the new dressings to the girls to apply, "Just needs to look like they've been redressed. And, he shouldn't remember this if you gave him the right dose this time." He said looking directly at the blood stained face of Toxikita.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "It's difficult to work out when his weight keeps going down. These things are worked out on body weight ya know."

"Yeah and Toxi's not great at math." Cammie snorted.

Jay was out cold, he had flopped down onto the chair. Head lolling forward.

Now the wall was covered in his blood too, that and the previous man they had slain.

* * *

Max simply smiled and followed the elderly matriarch from the basement. Up the stairs and into the dimly lit ground floor hallway. He watched her curiously, she was delicately wiping her mouth, cleansing it of the crimson substance.

"Tell me of her Max," Ms Johnson moved to his side and he graciously allowed her first entrance into her darkened sitting room.

"We are due to have dinner tonight, call it our first date. I think she is keen to know of Jay's whereabouts so this might just work."

"And," she paused, "Tell me of the other two."

Max shook his head, "David didn't manage to turn Cole." He leaned and looked down the corridor that led to the basement door where all the action had just taken place. "Though I suspect your girls may be closer to turning them? And, good idea with the tampered bottle, how did you know that one of the boys would fall for that?"

"Mother's intuition, some boys just think with their stomachs." She chuckled. "Besides, you know what young ones are like don't you Max? Can you remember?"

She tipped her head back. "Oh, something guaranteed to work, Chamille and Skylor thought it would be a good idea to throw a themed party."

"I have to give it to them, these young and new ways of thinking might actually work. They might manage to snare both half vampires as well as the son of your love interest."

"Might?" Max's eyebrows rose, a smirk present, "I like where this is heading, what are you planning?"

"We're throwing a party Max...tomorrow night, it'll be the perfect opportunity for you to change them." Her smile was wicked, "Just think, if you sire them Max...if you make them drink the blood of their brother, they'll be a part of _our_ nest."

"You are so bad, you're positively wicked."

* * *

A young early twenty year old vampire had doubts. She barely knew this man but already she felt pity for him.

She waited for him to be placed in his bed. Watching intently as he was carried upstairs like a drunken patron from a run down city hotel. And once there she sat and watched him, watched as he struggled to breathe or to control his palpitations.

Then, _carefully_ , to avoid him suffering this horrific situation any more, she bared her teeth bared in her vampire aspect. Retrieving a small blade, she sliced neatly across her own wrist. Holding it above his mouth. Watching carefully as each crimson drop quickly settled on his bitten lips.

He woke briefly but his eyes were so heavy. It was almost instinctual, he grasped her wrist and sucked hard. As hard as his strength would allow.

"Mmm, god, that tastes so good." He moaned, almost sinfully.

A minute was all it took and he was exhausted.

"I'm not a head vampire and this wont heal you. But, it'll prevent what they've got planned for your brothers."


	36. Chapter 36

Donald, the ever patient old man was busy putting boundary posts into the ground. He was driving them into pre-dug holes that ran almost three feet deep.

He was busy, he had been for most of the day. As motivation, Donald had the radio on in his jeep, providing a level of fifties music that he could work along to. Suddenly an additional noise caught his attention. The sound was remarkably similar to his pride and joy. He heard it before he saw it, the sounds of his soft top Ford Fairlane 500 being driven fast. The appearance of a cloud of dust alerted him to how fast it was being driven. The driver was Cole, the only one in the car old enough to drive responsibly. He was driving too fast whilst the automatic retractable hood was being folded down.

Donald frowned at that, normally, he would have preferred it to be lowered when the car was stationary because there would be less stress on the roof frame. The old man paused, wiping his sweaty brow. He could just make out the youngest standing up, cupping his hand to his ear to hear better.

"Hey Donald," Lloyd shouted, standing up tall, holding onto the door and Cole's shoulder so Donald could hear from the edges of the property. "Okay if we borrow the car?"

It was totally rhetorical, Lloyd wasn't expecting a response and he knew Cole wouldn't have taken his foot off the gas had Donald said 'no'. He sat back down, patted Cole's shoulder and gave him the go ahead. "Let's do this Cole."

Cole seemed to have a completely ' _don't give a shit_ ' attitude. His whole view of life was skewed, he was blasé at best. Without a care in the world, Cole put his foot down and sped off out of the gate that Donald had left open.

Donald had been about to verbalise, even had his hand up to shout something of importance, but as the car disappeared in a cloud of dust, he shook his head. He'd mention it later, when they got back from wherever they were going.

"So, I hear ya got two bloodsuckers now, huh?" Alan said, looking at Cole out of the corner of his eye.

Cole licked his teeth. He didn't want to antagonise them by licking his lips, that might give away the wrong impression. He wasn't going to answer anyway, the question wasn't directed at him. These two teens had made it obvious they didn't speak to his type.

"Yeah, we found out really early this morning, Kai too." Lloyd sighed, his face solemn, "We had no idea, luckily for me, the reveal wasn't as bad."

"That sucks, still if we don't sort this out today, we'll be back to sort em both out for ya."

Cole tensed slightly. He knew who Lloyd was referring to when he'd said it like that. He also knew that Kai seemed more in control, for the time being. Maybe his element helped, strengthened his resolve, or perhaps he saw the look in Nya's face and that alone had scarred him so much, he simply switched it off.

Either way, Cole had to give it him. Kai could keep it under slightly better control than he could. The anger issues though, that was another matter. Evidently, vampirism, affected each individual differently. A small part of his darker side wanted to know how it would affect Nya, if it would make her a hot sexy thing and Lloyd, would he become a non stop killing machine? He grinned at the thought and continued driving.

"So this is your plan A huh?" Cole asked, his voice quiet, subdued. "Got a backup plan?"

"We don't like to reveal our plans to vampires." Alan mumbled.

"Fine, have it your way." Cole huffed, turning the rear view mirror so it completely skimmed the black haired teen whose rudeness and ignorance was irritating and abrasive. Cole imagined this kid to be the type to be extremely rebellious. The worst kind of ninja student to teach or mentor, his brother however, was more determined to communicate, easier to read.

"So where we headed?" Edgar called from the back seat. He was tightly wedged between Lloyd in the back. Alan, his brother, was sitting in the foot well of the deceptively large car.

"Hudson's Bluff," Cole stated, quickly. "Off the beaten track." He smiled slightly, looking into the mirror. "You weren't expecting these guys to have a penthouse apartment were ya?"

"Bloodsuckers live in all manner of places." Alan replied, nonchalantly.

Cole's jaw clenched, he really didn't like this kid. He could do with being knocked down a peg or two.

"Yeah, you gotta expect the unexpected with these night crawlers." His brother countered.

Cole rolled his eyes. He tried not to feel offence at the terms he was hearing because he wasn't identifying as a full vampire, _just yet_. Finally they were approaching the end of the journey. Driving as close as he could to the Point, he pulled the car to an eventual stop, hand brake on, he pushed the gear into park. "We're here," He mumbled. Sweaty hands gripping the steering wheel. Cole was nervous, not entirely sure this was a well thought out plan A, he had serious doubts about this.

Everyone else jumped out with a definite hint of excitement about this mission. Cole was the only one who was showing wary apprehension.

Lloyd watched as the Frog brothers performed a weapons check. Both brothers were taking it in turns to check canteens and stakes, climbing equipment and torches. Everything seemed to be in working order. They had enough stakes for all four vampire brothers because Cole had briefly mentioned the names of David's kin. It was funny to watch, Lloyd had wondered if they had done this before and if they'd ever come to a potential slaying with a blunt stake.

* * *

Cole, hadn't thought to mention about Star or Laddie, _the little boy_. They weren't exactly the serious threat that Lloyd possibly thought they were; a girl of Cole's age and a kid. He kinda hoped that these two Frog brothers would just focus on the bigger picture. The bigger picture being David and his three brothers, they were the dangerous ones, the mindless killers.

He still hadn't spoken, Cole felt like he'd been hit by a truck and he was beginning to struggle under the mid day sun. Pushing himself way past his usual limits, he groaned and leaned forwards resting his head on the steering wheel.

"You okay Cole?" Lloyd was the only one to notice Cole's weakness, he quickly assisted him out of the car. Putting his arm under Cole's, he hoisted him up and out the driver side door. "Come on, we got this right?"

"I-I really don't want you going down there, Lloyd." He pushed the black sunglasses onto the bridge of his nose. His face, deadly serious as he looked into the green eyes of his brother in arms.

"Well I'm going," Lloyd countered.

Cole regarded his younger brothers stubborn composure. Lloyd was adamant, desperate to help, to prove himself yet not understanding the full danger that they would all be subjected to if they carried this plan through to fruition. It was riskier than Cole's plan, this plan, concocted by the Frog brothers was destined to be flawed from the outset, a death wish to be hunted once the sun went down.

Cole's face suddenly turned dark and possessive. "Look, this isn't a comic book Lloyd, these guys are brutal killers."

Lloyd knew Cole was trying to prevent him from doing this, he already knew how risky it was. "So, they're the Frog brothers." He replied, like it was a well known fact that Cole should have been impressed by.

Both Cole and Lloyd turned around to observe the brothers who were surreptitiously checking their stakes for sharpness and ease of access. "Look, who would you rather go down there with you, them or me?"

Cole looked at them again, something didn't sit right. "If something happens down there, I'm not gonna have the strength to protect you all."

Lloyd's face softened. "This time I'll protect you Cole," He paused, embracing Cole loosely but with enough of a grip to let him know he was being genuine. "You might be a vampire but you're still my brother."

" _Half_ ," Cole corrected gently.

"Listen, just so you know," Edgar had turned on the wooden steps that led the way down the cliff face. "You try to stop us, or vamp out on us in any way, I'll not think twice about staking you where you stand."

Lloyd stood more upright, turning round to observe and look at both Frog brothers as they started to make their journey. "Chill out Edgar."

"Where did ya say you met these guys?" Cole mumbled, leaning heavily on Lloyd's shoulder as both Ninja of bloody earth and energy made their way into the cave of potential death and despair.

* * *

They clearly didn't need to light the place up during the day, the afternoon sunlight came through naturally, thanks in part to the huge unsightly crack and the mouth of the cave. The two Frog Brothers had entered the vampire's lair with gusto, a giddy excitement. Lloyd wasn't even sure if these guys had ever slayed a vampire before, or it this was pure role playing stuff that they had dreamt of but never had the chance to act out.

" **HOLY SHIT!** " Edgar shouted out, a little too loudly that his voice echoed, rebounding of each bare rock wall.

" _Vampire hotel_ ," his black haired brother exclaimed, looking at the place with a sense of intrigue.

Both looking around wildly. This place was a den alright, it would have made a cool den if it weren't infested with vampires. And all this drapey shit than hung from the walls like a female vampire lived here too. A woman's touch...

"Come on Lloyd," Alan pulled on his arm. "We've got a job to do."

He nodded at the two brothers before turning back to his own kin. "I'm worried about you Cole. Y-you gonna be okay?" Lloyd asked, propping his brother up against the wall.

He nodded in response to Lloyd's question, panting. Cole, in turn, could tell that Lloyd didn't want to be here either. The only ones who did, were the two kids who had a positive death wish.

The two Frog Brothers, who were purposely hunting and seeking out any positive clues, seemed to be _getting off_ on this place. They, between them had no idea just how dangerous this whole mission could be, because they were too high on adrenaline and testosterone. _Still_ , they carried on looking for clues. They didn't have to look far, there were vampire signs of life all around them; litter and beer bottles, smashed glass and the hint of rotting meat could be caught on the odd breeze, other than that it was eerily silent.

Edgar had been fast in scoping the place out. Him and his brother had found two already, a child and a woman. "Here's one." He yelled to Lloyd and his own brother, Alan.

Edgar was ready to strike. "I say we stake her where she sleeps!" His hands were raised, both placed on the crude wooden stake. He'd been about to drive it through her chest until Cole's voice boomed across the cave, causing a mild tremor.

" **Don't you touch her, y-you stay away from her**." Cole had literally ran across to her bedside to prevent the stake from coming anywhere near her.

"Vampires have such rotten tempers," He said, backing away when Cole ran to the bed. "The rest of em must be around here somewhere. Come on, let's find em." Edgar had backed off, enough to give some space between the half vampire he was sorely tempted to stake.

Cole growled, watching from the corner of his eyes as Edgar, Alan and Lloyd backed away slowly. "Star," he whispered, trying desperately to rouse her. "I'm taking you out of here."

Star rolled onto her back, looking him straight in the face. "No, take Laddie first," she mumbled, pulling the blanket up over her exposed shoulder.

He kissed her shoulder, breathing her in sinfully before taking one look at the child and rolling his eyes. There was some empathy for the child, he was innocent after all. " _Fine_ , I'll be coming back for ya, we need to get you _both_ outta here."

The little boy was asleep, snuggling into a large blue plushie, the scene painfully reminded him of Jay again.

Luckily, Cole thought, Laddie was relatively lightweight, so not much energy would need to be expended. The master of earth looked down at the child, he could manage this little thing, and so, he heaved the boy into his arms and carried him effortlessly out into the open and back up to the car.

He came back a few minutes later and took Star too. The exertion of dead lifting roughly seventy kilos, had wiped him out. Once he got back up the stairs and back to the car, he fell asleep with Star in his lap having gotten them to the car in one piece. Cole was sprawled out across the back seat. Sunglasses in situ, leather jacket splayed across his girlfriend's face.

* * *

Alan and Edgar had begun climbing. "I feel a draft, I think there's something up here," Alan noted, grabbing his torch and shining it through the narrow shaft.

Edgar pulled Lloyd with him as he climbed up toward a shaft that was partially hidden by a few exposed supporting beams. The whole area was covered in cobwebs, dust and a type of plant that resembled Spanish moss.

"Ugh, what's that smell?" Lloyd noted, screwing up his face in disgust as he climbed through the tiny access shaft on his hands and knees. He was madly wiping at the spider webs that were accruing on his shoulders and head the further he travelled.

"That's the smell of death," Edgar replied, rolling his eyes at Lloyd's shocked expression. "Vampires, my friend."

"It means we're on the right track." Alan added.

 _'Great, is it too late to back out now?'_ Lloyd thought, "Why are there so many flies?" Just another thing to contend with, he batted them away from his face, which was, still screwed up with disgust at the squalid environment he had unknowingly crawled into.

"Flies and the undead go together like," Edgar paused, trying to think of a perfect accompaniment, "bullets and guns."

A few minutes had passed, painfully slowly for Lloyd who had to endure crawling through the underbelly of this vampire hotel on his hands and knees, feeling creepy crawlies in his hair every crawl of the way.

Finally the shaft had a small drop and all three climbed and partially jumped down. Not sure if it was just him, of if he wasn't wearing enough layers, but Lloyd was feeling colder than usual. "You guys don't feel that? Gahh, it's freezing down here."

At Lloyd's first glance, this area revealed nothing exciting, just an empty circular room. "Come on guys, th-this looks like a dead end huh, m-maybe we should go back?"

Edgar held his torch at the walls, hoping to see some hollowed out vaults or similar burial rooms. "They must've hidden their coffins around here somewhere."

That was, until Lloyd's torch shone upwards and all three assembled young teens spotted four hanging vampires.

" **JESUS!** " Edgar shouted, panicked

" **ARGH** " Lloyd screamed in response to Edgar's shocked response, until the latter placed his hands over Lloyd's mouth to silence the very unmanly scream that fell from his mouth.

"You finished? You not gonna scream if I remove my hand?"

Lloyd semi shook and nodded his head. Grateful that Edgar had trusted him enough to give him the gift of speech again. "Sorry."

Lloyd looked up at them, fearfully. These vampires resembled humans, _partially_. The only part that looked wrong was the fact that these four vampires were sleeping upside down, and they had no real feet, just three claws on each foot residing there. These claws were the only things that kept them anchored to the metal pole they were clambering to.

"I though they were supposed to be in coffins?" Lloyd stated, remembering what he'd read in the comics that he'd been given for free. They were partially responsible for his newfound sleeping problems. This would likely confound that issue further.

"That's what this place is," Edgar said, climbing up the side of the wall, using the exposed beams as leverage. "One giant coffin. And, right now, they're at their most vulnerable."

"So, easy pickings," Alan stated, following his brother up in quick succession.

Lloyd remained at the bottom, safest on the floor. There was no way he was going up there too, that would be too close for comfort. "So, all we have to do is figure out who the head vampire is?"

Edgar had turned mid way through his climb. "We don't know which one the leader is though, so, I guess we'll just have to kill them all."

Lloyd's mouth gaped open. Sure, that had been the plan from the outset, hearing it uttered out loud and in this place, made it sound like a very bad idea.

"Not that it matters though Edgar, they're all blood suckers. All full vampires because they've killed innocents."

"Yeah, I know."

"Who's first then? Which lucky vampire gets to be staked?" Alan asked, a look of fierce determination on his face. He was finally going to be able to slay one.

Edgar, his brother had turned to face him, having removed a single stake from his backpack. "I say, let's start with the littlest, first come first staked!"

Lloyd frowned at Edgar's _gallows humour_. The young dirty blonde haired vampire hunter seemed to revel in this whole macabre setting. The fact that he was about to kill a human looking thing that wouldn't think twice about sucking their blood was another matter. "Is that vampire humour? It's not funny, _in the slightest_."

"Remember Lloyd, not one vampire goes out the same way. Some explode, some implode, some burst into flames and other hiss and boil. Some turn to stone an..."

"Yeah yeah I get it, can we just, ya know." Lloyd held the torchlight upwards. Anticipating a sense of anxiety and fear as soon as the stake would strike the first one.

Edgar looked down at Lloyd smirking slightly. He held the stake firm and aimed it right at the shortest vampire. The one who was closest to his proximity that didn't warrant the need for him to lean precariously. The last thing Edgar wanted was a twenty feet drop, an injury right now was not on the cards.

He looked the curly haired blonde vampire, who seemed to be peacefully sleeping upside down. "Good night, blood sucker." It was almost as if Edgar was giving the vampire his last words. It wasn't like he was going to give the night crawler a chance to wake up and say them himself. Instead, he rammed the stake through the vampire's chest as hard as he could.

The creature screeched loudly, his yellow eyes opened wide and he stared his slayer dead in the eyes. Marko's hands were wrapped tightly around the wooden stake as it remained stuck in his chest. In fact, for Lloyd, it couldn't have gotten any worse at that moment. All three vampires woke simultaneously at the sound of their own kin having been run through by a wooden stake. The sound in this small room had increased so much that Lloyd couldn't himself think, everyone was panicking.

Marko's clawed feet lost their grip on the metal bar and his grip changed from his feet to his hands as he used his last amount of dying strength to grab the culprits who had dared to stake him. In the ensuing grapple for power, twenty feet up, both Frog brothers and dying vampire came tumbling down towards Lloyd, taking out a supporting beam in the process.

Panic begot panic as all three teenagers screamed at the top of their lungs at having a dying vampire land in their laps. In effect, Marko had pinned them to the spot. First thing Lloyd noticed, other than how much slime this creature was full of, this vampire was damned heavy, heavier than he was.

Lloyd had managed to pry the dead thing off of Edgar and Alan with relative ease once he tapped into Cole's element and, between the three of them, they quickly scurried back through the access shaft. The ground rumbling as they moved along in rapid succession Edgar in the lead, Alan behind hi and lloyd heading up the rear.

They crawled as fast as they could despite the fact that David was hot on Lloyd's heels. The rumbling tremors slowed their progression enough for David to grasp a hold of Lloyd's ankle. Suddenly Lloyd had span on his knees to be face to face with a blood thirsty creature, a full vampire baring his fangs and hissing.

It had to be the most terrifying thing he'd ever seen, this far surpassed ghosts and snakes. David was attempting to drag him back into their lair so he could tear him apart in the most painful way. It was sheer luck that both Edgar and his brother had enough strength between themselves to tug Lloyd free of David's impossibly strong grasp.

"Get him into the light," Edgar shouted, desperately using his legs on the exposed beam for added leverage.

"Into the sunlight, you gotta get him into the sunlight." Alan yelled, pulling Lloyd backwards with a hefty tug under his arms.

All the time Lloyd was making crucifix gestures with his fingers in a pitiful attempt to keep these bloodsuckers at bay. Inside he was terrified, panicking and in desperate need of Cole.

Once free of the cave and with David's hand sufficiently burned, they ran for their lives.

Shouting the moment he cleared the cave, Lloyd repetitively called Cole's name to start the car, but it was clearly apparent once they'd got to the car side that the master of earth was sleeping and couldn't be roused. So, Lloyd decided to give it a shot. He opened the car door and jumped in without a seconds thought.

"We don't drive with vampires," Edgar was quick to state, his brother standing firm at his side.

Lloyd frowned, turning to look them in the face. "Are you being serious? Fine," He snapped, slamming the car door. " _Stay here then?_ "

The brothers shared the briefest glimpses "We do now." They both said, humbled as they got into the front of the car.

Lloyd thought that it couldn't be that hard to drive an automatic?

Unfortunately, he almost reversed it over the cliff edge. Turning to his side to face Alan and Edgar, he said nothing but slid the stick into drive and put his foot down. Driving as fast as they could without attracting attention from the police force. It would just be so typical that the police would issue a speeding, no insurance and no driving license fine rather than start a murder inquiry into their still missing brother.

* * *

They'd walked into the house amidst looks of confusion on Zane and Nya's faces. Cole had taken it upon himself to carry his girlfriend up the stairs and Edgar was carrying a small child. If Jay had been here, he would have recognised both sleeping persons.

Kai was in the kitchen sitting at the table, lost in his own thoughts. He was trying his hardest to keep away from her and he found that being in the kitchen with all the distracting noises in here; he felt like he could relax. He'd been drinking slightly salted water, he seemed to have a craving for it or rather, anything salty in a liquid form.

As soon as Nya had returned from a whole day of looking for Jay she'd kept her distance from her brother, it was more than mutual too. Kai saw the look she gave him this morning. He felt like crap when she'd looked at him like that, like she'd never trust him again.

Nanook's barking was the first sign that they had visitors.

Kai's head raised a little from the crimson invite he had been staring at all day. He had been contemplating going there himself, but he wasn't sure what would await him upon his arrival. Not now that he had a good idea that this was where Jay was being held. And, more than likely, these girls were something similar to Kai and Cole. Once he'd figured it out, his stomach had clenched, his heart had dropped into his mouth.

He'd already rsvp'd, not even given it a second thought. This had to herald the clues he and his brothers had been looking for. But there was that same prickling feeling that filled him with dread and uncertainty as to how Jay might be fairing. That is, if he was indeed, _still alive_. Kai could only hope he was.

As clear as a bell, Kai could hear them walking into the sitting room. They weren't being quiet in the slightest.

"Your dog knows a flesh eater when he smells one," Edgar stated.

"He's not my dog." Lloyd said grasping the pet before it had a chance to sink its teeth in to Cole or the other half vampires with them.

"Take him outside, Lloyd." Cole ordered.

Lloyd nodded, very gently he grasped the dog by his collar, leading him outside. "Come on Nanook."

Cole, who was upstairs, had carefully placed Star on the bed, he hadn't made the bed himself, he fell down the side of it and remained sleeping upright against the bedside table. Edgar had placed Laddie and had closed the door securely behind him, a look of utter panic now on his face.

He waited until Lloyd had returned up the stairs. "We're gonna need help from your brothers and sister."

Lloyd nodded. "Sure, so we we blew plan A."

"Time to activate plan B" Edgar suggested, looking to his brother for his support, as usual Alan nodded in response.

"What's plan B?" Lloyd asked in confusion. Rubbing his face free from the dried slime that had issued out of Marko's mouth as he lay dying.

"We don't have one yet. We only have two and a half hours to come with one."

"Why, what happens in two hours?"

Both Edgar and Alan turned to face him and his sleeping black haired vampire brother. "The sun will go down, they'll be looking for us."

 _Oh shit..._

* * *

 _ **Downstairs in the kitchen**_

Lloyd was out of breath having ran to the front gate to tie Nanook to it. He'd returned quickly but sweating as he removed his stained top and replaced it with a clean blue hoodie, one that he could only guess belonged to Jay. He picked up the red card, looking over it with intrigue. "What is this Kai?"

"A party invite, obviously." He replied with a worried smile. Not letting on how scared he was at what he had accepted.

"From who?" Lloyd questioned, looking it over, not recognising the names at all.

"I believe the correct term is 'from whom'?"

"Thanks Zane, _nerd_. So, who's it from?" Lloyd repeated quickly.

Kai noted a sense of urgency behind Lloyd's words. He was unsure as to why, in fact, he was unsure why everyone seemed to be so het up and stressed all of a sudden.

"The two girls who delivered Donald's groceries earlier whilst you lot were out doing, Uh, what exactly were you doing?"

Kai watched with a sense of dread as the Frog brothers remained. Rather than everything being in a state of relaxed and controlled chaos, as he'd been used to, everyone here was stressed, anxious and clock watching. He turned to his side, Zane and Alan were propping up furniture against the windows and the Edgar was smashing a large amount of garlic cloves on the chopping board before transferring them into a wash bowl.

"Well, uh, we're kinda expecting some visitors tonight..." Lloyd answered nervously. Watching out of the window as the sun was nearing the horizon.

"Unexpected visitors?" Kai asked cocking his head at the strange behaviour. "Judging by the fact that you're all totalling the place."

Lloyd had smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, you could say that."

""Is it a housewarming and you're expecting an unhealthy amount of gatecrashers, so you're clearing the furniture?"

"W-well, sort of. Gatecrashers, definitely."

"Okay, so what is _he_ doing then?" Kai queried. Cringing at the obnoxiously loud smashing sounds as the unknown Frog brother smashed the crap out of the poor unsuspecting cloves of garlic. Of which, these veggies had only been delivered today. "We having Italian tonight, you know I can't eat garlic right?"

"Yeah I know Kai," Lloyd rubbed the back of his head. "Ugh, well, he's gonna run a bath and use it."

"With garlic in it?" His eyebrows raised incredulously. Kai was biting his inner cheek, "Look, I'm not an idiot...what aren't you telling me?"

Lloyd bit his knuckle, looking at Kai, apologetically. "Well, uh, we have about two hours to prep the house, because..." he looked around wildly.

Kai frowned. "Why, what happens in a few hours?"

Lloyd bit his lip nervously. "They'll come looking for us."

"Who?"

"The same vampires that turned Cole." Lloyd said with an unintended squeak. His hand over his mouth at the very unmanly sounds that spilled from his own lips. His own terrified gaze made Kai's widen in shock."

He spat his salted water out. "WAIT, WHAT?" he wiped his face fast, shaking a little. "Wh-why are they coming h-here?"

Lloyd had moved on to biting his nails again. "Uh, well, we might have uh staked one of their own."

"Holy shit, you're telling the truth. Hang on you might've?" Kai's face was emotionless, his mouth hanging open.

"We did, we wanted to find the head vampire, but it wasn't him."

Kai's hand was covering his mouth. Slowly he removed it, "So, wh-what do you need me to do?"

Lloyd was biting his nails nervously. "Kai, I-I need you to tell Donald to stay out tonight. Th-then I need you, Zane and Nya to come into town with us, we're gonna need supplies and fast."

"And Cole?" Kai asked as he stood quickly.

"Cole's exhausted, he's staying put."

"Okay, lets do this," Kai said with a look of grim determination on his face. "You've stirred a nest of vampires and they're gonna be vying for your blood and that of my sister. Let's get this done and fast."

Lloyd placed his trembling hand on Kai's upper arm and squeezed tightly. "Today, so far has been the scariest of my life, bar none. And, I'm glad to have you guys by my side."

* * *

 **Why thank you for your admission RandomDragon, you really should consider getting an FFN account too.**

 **Master Of Cupcakes: You'll find out soon. And thanks, makes it easier for me too.**


	37. Survival tactics

_Monday_ _ **afternoon**_

 _ **Donald's homestead (about to go shopping)**_

* * *

The end of summer was supposedly fast approaching. Today however, had been unexpectedly warm and most people had resorted to wearing their summer casuals. These, mostly consisting of dayglo T-shirts with denim shorts or the luminous bikinis as seen on some of the female beach-goers. Apparently, the heatwave was far from over, something to do with an area of high pressure that was causing droughts elsewhere. The heat was stifling, a certain oppressiveness to the dry heat. This was made all the worse by the fact that Donald didn't have a pool. Outback, he had a huge meadowed paddock, with long grass and horses grazing. Next to that was a huge golf course, surrounded by bunkers of sand, not a drop of water.

Even Kai was feeling it, now more than ever. "Urgh, it's too hot out here. What I wouldn't give for a little cloud cover."

"Drink it Kai, it has trace elements of sodium, I believe you will be craving that too, at some point." Zane passed him some water with electrolytes in. "Actually, cloud cover would be largely detrimental, it would make it seem darker than it was and, it would give us less time to pull this _plan B_ off."

Zane had climbed in to the driver side of the rust bucket and placed the keys quickly turning the air conditioning to full. Kai had joined his side, uncomfortably pulling his white v neck t-shirt, which was clinging to his already sweaty honed torso. Craning his neck, he observed Lloyd climbing in.

As before, the master of energy quickly found himself squashed between the two younger teens.

Waiting until they had buckled in, Kai spoke up. "So where's first?" He took a long drink as directed. It was sickly sweet with a raspberry flavour, a hint of sodium too.

"Church, you guys are religious right?"

Kai shifted uncomfortably. "Not exactly. Think we follow another religion all together."

"Well, whatever, we need to get something important, so you got two choices." Edgar said.

His darker haired brother was smiling, _in a sense_. "You can get a hold of some weapons or you can get the Holy water."

Zane frowned in the rear view mirror, not entertaining the idea of walking into a place of worship to take something as sacred as that. How would he find an appropriate excuse for the ordained minister who would surely ask him what he was doing? No, mind made up, he would take Kai and Nya with him to get the other supplies required "What type of weapons?"

Edgar and Alan both smirked. "Water pistols," Edgar stated.

"Bow and arrow sets." Alan added, "That sorta stuff, easy, under the radar kid friendly stuff that we can fool em with."

"Phew," Kai laughed. "I don't think Zane was overly happy at stealing Holy water eh? So, you want us to pick up kids toys then?" He shook his head. "Still, makes it easier to get hold of those rather than a bowie knife or full on katana."

"And cheaper," Zane chipped in, his voice barely above a whisper. "Those would be quite costly, and we do not have the funds to waste."

"What even if it were for survival?" Kai replied under his breath.

Zane nodded.

Kai received a look of awe quickly followed by distrust from Alan. "What? We left our weapons back at home, didn't we green machine? And, I'm guessing it would look bad if we came down here with a car loaded full of ninja paraphernalia."

"Ha, yeah right!" Alan guffawed, thinking that the brown haired one in the front was talking shit. More than likely he was bigging himself up in the process, trying to avert the fact that everyone in the car knew he was a vampire.

"This the other vampire then?" Edgar asked, turning his head slightly at Lloyd whilst not taking his eyes of Kai or the unnerving fact that Kai had no reflection in the rear view nor passenger side mirror.

Nya was the one to answer first. "He is, and he's still my brother."

Lloyd nodded, slowly casting a sympathetic smile that was verging on an awkward grimace. " _Sorry Kai_. Guys, he is kinda harmless though and, he can control it."

Edgar nodded, just the once. He wasn't going to embarrass himself again at mumbling the same retort that he'd done at Hudson's Bluff. Not in a crowded car.

His brother would though. "Don't get in our way Kai, or we'll not think twice about ending you."

 _'Ha in your dreams...'_ Kai turned to the front.

"You'll have to get past me first." Nya warned. "No-one touches Kai."

"Thanks Nya." Kai looked at her using the mirror but she couldn't see him so he turned to face her, with a sympathetic smile. "How long do ya think this is gonna take Zane?"

"Hopefully minutes, no longer. Although, I guess it depends on the amount of shoppers in town, or sales that may hamper our ease of getting in and out."

"I'll look for the arrows, you look for bows and Nya," he turned to his sister who was sat right at the back chewing her fingers nervously. "Can you get the water pistols?" Even saying and asking for those sounded utterly ridiculous.

"So, we split up as soon as we get into town." Alan stated, bringing out a town map from his bergen knapsack. " I suggest, you three get the main supplies, and us three," He said, pointing to his brother and Lloyd. "We'll get the water."

"How much water?"

"Lloyd, we only need enough to fill the pistols, and the rest will go with the bath water and garlic."

Getting the Holy water had been easier than first expected. They had listened out for the ringing of the bells to guide them to their locations and once found, they entered and took as much as they could. Three churches they had visited, one for each person. Each individual had been set the task of walking in finding the Holy water font and filling their canteen with it. Edgar and Alan found a church with two fonts and both brothers, in the processes of disturbing a Christening, filled their canteens with a cheeky grin on their faces, like butter wouldn't melt. They stayed respectfully quiet too.

* * *

 _ **Donald's Homestead**_

"Dude, don't go in there. Garlic is beginning to burn my eyes and nose."

"Kai, I take it that garlic doesn't actually hurt us though, we just find it too strong smelling. What are they doing with it anyway?"

The master of fire, pulled an awkward face. "Well, they're kinda pouring it into the bath."

"Why? Someone having a stinky herbal bath?"

"No Cole. Eddie said something about garlic being bad for vampires, which I should add is sorta full of Holy water too."

"Clever," Cole smiled, the first one that Kai had seen for a while. "Hmm, sneaky too, Jay would've loved that crafty idea."

Kai threw his arm around Cole's shoulder. "Now's who's being negative, huh? You mean Jay _will_ love that idea right?"

Frowning, Cole turned to look at Kai. "Ya know, you've changed since we last spoke this morning, what gives? I could've sworn that you'd accused me of biting him and now you're dead set on changing your stance on that."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I never said you _didn't_ bite him and I haven't changed my stance, _yet_. That's still out for the jury. But, rather than thinking he is dead whilst trying to recover his body for a proper service, I have a sneaking suspicion that he's still alive."

"Wait, WHAT? How?"

Kai was smiling too. "I think I might have found a clue whilst you were doing a full scale rescue of your girlfriend." He pulled out the invite and passed it to Cole.

"Plus one? Are they expecting you to bring a girl or something? It's gonna look real weird if I'm your plus one." Cole propped up Zane's bed with ease, placing it up against the window.

Kai smirked. "Is that all you're seeing, the fact that it says; plus one?" Frustrated, he pointed at the address, "Or the fact that it's an invite to a costume party on the private road that only residents are permitted to enter? Yeah, Zane told me, that road is off limits for most who don't have a residents pass."

"What's the event and when is it?" He asked, not interested in reading it for himself.

Looking back at to to see if it was a 21st or housewarming. "No event is listed but it's tomorrow, so," he tucked it away for safekeeping. "If we survive tonight, will you give it a thought?"

Cole gave a half shrug, securing the latches on the bedroom windows. No answer was given just a deep sigh as to what this thing could entail.

"Look, I can check more on it tomorrow. But, I have a gut feeling that it's going to be beneficial, if it's just us that go."

"Like a sixth sense or something?" Cole wasn't buying the idea. _Why would two complete strangers give Kai an invite?_ "Isn't it a bit suspicious though? I mean, they don't know you from Adam, why did they give you the invite?"

Kai shrugged his shoulders, he didn't have the answer to that. "I don't know why, they just did. The other girl wasn't too happy about it but Sky seemed enthusiastic, she's the one who gave it to me."

"That her name then? Sky?" Cole looked interested for a few fleeting moments. Thinking that Kai could stop being so grumpy and maybe look for a love interest too.

Kai nodded, "Yeah, but it's not like that. I don't like her." He was trying to figure her out, both of them. To him, on first appearances, they looked like ghosts, so pale and lifeless and both covered in black, with ridiculous wide brimmed hats that kept all the rays of sun off of them. "Come on Cole, maybe Zane can be on hand, just in case. He can be our chaperone, hidden out of sight."

"Hmm, risky though."

Kai had to think back to what he said last night. "Dude, you remember what you said about uh, P-Paul was it? That he goes to a house near the coastal road, like once a week?"

Rubbing his face, Cole looked up. "I did say that, yeah, _and_?"

"Well, this place, I mean the party. It's an address on the same stretch. Zane and Nya are gonna go scope out the place later, recon mission sorta thing ya know? Don't think they need a pass to walk on the road, only to drive and park up"

"You think this is where Paul goes, don't ya?" Palms turned upwards. Cole gave in and released a pent up sigh. "Fine. If we survive this night and Zane and Nya don't get spotted, I'll be your plus one."

Patting Kai on the back. "Also, good thinking keeping them out the house tonight. There'd be too many casualties if these vamps overpowered us, least this way, _**less collateral damage**_."

Kai smiling widely, had vanished momentarily. Coming back into the bedroom with a huge grin, he pulled out two red water pistols. "For when the fun goes down later. Kinda wished we'd gone for the Uzi 9mm though, they hold a lot more water, but Eddie and Alan called first dibs."

"I don't think it's gonna be much fun. You made sure to keep Donald away?" Cole asked, pulling the trigger as a finite stream of water came forth.

Kai nodded. "Whoa dude, these are filled with Holy water, don't waste em." He grabbed the pistol, checking for water tightness and placed it in Cole's back pocket. "There's a reason I put it there, you're wearing blue jeans, you put it in your front pocket and it leaks, you're gonna look like you've had an accident."

"Hmmm, incontinence versus death. Believe me Kai, that'll be the least of my worries. Losing control of my bladder, haa."

"Fair enough, just don't waste it, this stuff's like gold dust and, for the moment, we're kinda immune to it."

"For the moment yeah." Cole looked worried for a moment. He flicked the light on in the bathroom, then noted how much darker it appeared once he'd flicked the dim bulb on. "It's getting dark, they'll be here soon."

"I know, and we'll be ready for them when they arrive."

Rubbing his face as if to wipe the anxiousness away. "One thing I never understood until last night, was how David and his brothers could still eat food. Yet, I can't eat a damned thing without being sick."

"You worked it out then?"

Cole nodded. "As long as I've feasted on blood, everything else is just an appetiser. The blood is what keeps you going, it's like my body is calling out for it, a craving that gets stronger each day." The thought was incredibly depressing that is sucked all the positivity from the bedroom. Not that there was much to begin with since a certain someone was still missing.

"That's a scary thought, the fact you've gotta kill another human in order to survive." Kai's expression was grim, he'd be the same soon. He could already feel the pull toward his sister and Lloyd. To the woman a few days ago who rode too close to the car

He didn't answer, Kai was telling it like it was. It wasn't a future he wanted to envision, let alone have Kai endure too, being that they were both in this together now.

"It's sundown Kai!" He mumbled, expression suddenly dark. "We need all the lights on, no dark corners cos these guys wear black."

He gave the reason, and thankfully, Kai didn't argue with it. relieved, in a way, Cole walked out of the bathroom, with his brother hot on his heels. Spinning around, he put his hands on Kai's shoulders, firmly. "Once you've switched the rest of the lights on up here, they might need you downstairs."

Kai, frowning looked into Cole's eyes. "Why, aren't ya coming?"

Cole shook his head, looking back at his bedroom, the one he once shared with Jay. "I need to speak with Star, I'll be down in a minute."

"Okay, _I guess._ Don't be too long."

Watching, Cole sighed deeply as Kai went down the stairs. It wasn't fair on these guys, nor Kai, he had no idea what he was up against because his transformation was an accident, a mistake and it shouldn't have happened. Cole's mistake, however was his own and his reluctance to heed Star's warning. She was the only one to warn him not to drink it, but he did and he paid for it with Jay's disappearance and a cursed life from then on out.

Hand on the doorknob, he twisted it gently and opened the door, slipping inside the bedroom as quietly as he could. Looking around the darkened room, his fingers grazed the wall for the light switch, he flipped it on. Deeply troubled eyes focusing on the bed. Laddie was still sleeping, curled up on the bed, holding resolutely onto the plushie. Cole had tried to pry it from Laddies hands before he took him from the cave, but he changed his mind at the last minute.

Laddie was just like the hundreds of other missing persons, he had a family somewhere who loved him but nothing to keep him company whilst these guys kept him as their mascot or pet. He wondered why they had taken him in the first place, whether they felt pity for the kid or if it was done to keep Star busy. To keep her acting like a mother figure would keep her off their backs as they continued to live like big kids.

Star was slowly sitting up, rousing from her disturbed slumber. She looked up at him, at her dishevelled looking boyfriend. "They'll be coming for Laddie and me, won't they?"

 _So naive and kinda ignorant_ , he thought, but forgave her. Cole shook his head slowly, peering out of the window, face hidden largely by the lace. "They'll be coming, _for all of us_."

 _After all, we kinda drew first blood and killed one of their own_. He didn't verbalise that part, he doubted Star even knew that Marco was dead. Cole had only learned of that through the Frog brothers who had actively bragged about it. Then he found out the real events when he'd spoken to Lloyd, noting the shaken voice of what he had done and the trouble and bloodshed that would now be afforded to one and all.

Star suddenly shifted on the bed, turning to the little boy. "Laddie, wake up."

"You need to hide him, someplace safe." Cole suggested.

He didn't want to let on how worried and anxious he was about what was about to transpire, his emotionless face was enough of an indication. Cole was quick to leave the room so Star could at least prepare herself and Laddie for what was going to go down.

Hell was about to come knocking and Cole knew they were far from ready.

* * *

Downstairs, Lloyd was busy smashing more garlic. Obviously taking out his pent up frustrations on something as inanimate as a flavourful seasoning. The unsuspecting garlic never it coming. Flattened to a paste before it could be used for human consumption. No, Lloyd was adamant this stuff was going in the bath too. Kai watched in morbid fascination as each clove of garlic met its demise with the coarse pronged side of the tenderiser.

Lloyd wasn't cutting any corners here, he was using an entire sackful of the stuff which Kai thought was a little extreme. The smell was nigh on unbearable. God, he hated to think how bad it was gonna smell come tomorrow morning, that is, _if they survived the night_. Stale garlic smelled hideous, and this amount was going to be really difficult to wash off, considering the party they were due to attend tomorrow night.

The sounds of a barking dog brought their attention to the window. Lloyd and Kai both stood abruptly. Another sound was the clattering of the metal tool as it fell on the floor.

"Oh god," Lloyd's face paled. "I left Nanook outside." He didn't stop to think how reckless he was being, he bolted for the front door without saying another word.

Kai had side stepped him so as not to get in his way. The kid looked to be on a mission, so he wasn't going to attempt to stop him.

The only issue with this was the fact that the sun had gone down. Vanished from the horizon completely that all that could be seen was a clear starry lit sky, the moon leaving some reflective brightness to remain.

Cole came bounding down the stairs at the sudden clattering of the front doors, considering everything should have been boarded up. His face like thunder, eyes burning into Kai's " **Where is he?** " HE shouted, panicked.

Kai pointed to the front door, it was still ajar. Now it had a few people standing in the doorway too, namely Star, Edgar and Alan. All of them were calling for Lloyd to come back in, to return and their cries of desperation and terror were becoming more intense as the seconds wore on.

"SHIT..." Cole turned to stare at Kai with a look of fear plastered on his face. "He's gone outside, has he got a death wish?" He ran out of the kitchen too, Kai hot on his trail.

"LLOYD, you idiot... get back inside!" Cole looked up the sky and all the colour slowly drained from his face. _'Why did Donald have to have such a long front drive?'_

He ran like Lloyd's life depended on it, not thinking about himself. All he could think of was his younger brother Lloyd who was tugging desperately at the collar and offending leash that kept the dog rooted firmly to the spot. It was one of those chain chokers and no matter how tightly both pulled at it it grew tighter around the dog's neck.

"I can't...I can't get the leash off him."

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Kai's eyes widened, he made the mistake of looking up at Cole as he attempted to untangle it. He wasn't entirely sure that what he could see, he wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him. He saw some blurry figures approaching rapidly but rather than being on the ground this blurry things was approaching from the sky. Putting it to the back of his mind, he knelt at Lloyd's side and tugged desperately at the leather leash. But the more he tried to focus on the task in hand, he kept looking up to the sky and the cries at the front door got louder. "Cole, wh-what is that?"

"It'd be better if you didn't know, Just burn the damn leash, NOW!"

"Stop pulling, you're making it tighter." Kai growled, anger growing by the second as all three of them tugged at the leather. The dog was still anchored to the wooden gate and bar pulling the gate from the hinges, the dog wasn't going anywhere. What made it exponentially worse was that Nanook was snapping at Kai because of his proximity.

"BURN IT KAI! We haven't got time for this shit." Cole grunted, holding the dog still enough for Kai to get a section of leather free from the dog's fur.

Cole could hear Edgar and Alan, wailing their names from the front door. Star soon joined in too. None of it helped, it just served to make them anxious and Lloyd was beginning to lose the plot.

Lloyd wasn't going to leave the dog out here to perish. Somehow, he'd become attached to it during the space of one week. Possibly because it had been protecting him since Cole's transformation from elemental master to vampire.

Kai did it quickly and the dog snapped at him in response to the heat. The leash fell away and Kai cradled his bitten hand, saying nothing but pulling Lloyd to his feet. "Come on, we gotta get back inside." He had a feeling that the increasing sound of heckling laughter was the vampires that Cole had warned him about. They were getting closer by the second.

* * *

 ** _Meant to add; RandomDragon, that snippet of a story sounds really good. Loki was impressed with it and the dialogue._**


	38. Max and Misako Monday night

The tapping of keys on a computer keyboard penetrated the calm relaxed ambience of Santa Carla's Sea Cloud restaurant. The drumming of the keys resonated throughout the half empty eatery in an erratic pattern of pausing and continuing.

"Who is the booking reserved under?" The male attendant inquired, looking at the elder female guest stood before him.

He noted, looking down at her, that she had her hair held in a loose side plait. The shade, a faint off platinum blonde look about it. She was smartly dressed but not overly so. A distinct summery feel to her attire made the attendant regard her as a tourist, that and the faint glow of sunkissed skin upon her upper arms exacerbated that fact.

"I believe it was booked under the name of Max." She replied, quietly. Casually looking over the attendant's shoulder, Misako could already see that there were a few patrons here already. Most of which were exceptionally quiet, drinking aperitif's or tasting hors de oeuvres whilst waiting for their own mains to arrive. Patrons, that happily chatting between themselves, generally having a good time. She didn't really want to cause a stir or kick up a fuss, so she remained quiet.

She looked around, feeling out of her depth and a little lost. Eyebrows raised at the decor, this was an upscale restaurant, the type that had reservations booked in advance. The worst part, the majority of single tables were barely sufficient for two diners, sitting extraordinarily close...people on romantic dates.

It hit her, like a blow to the gut, now she was beginning to think that this was a bad idea, a really bad idea.

Since when had she been so forward and accepting of invitations such as this?

Cussing internally. Misako remembered that she'd always been swayed by the tall dark and handsome type. Truthfully, that was how she fell for Garmadon. It wasn't just his looks though, she wasn't that shallow. She fell for his words, the way he got into her heart and soul. The same way that Max was trying.

She searched for him with her eyes, wondering if he was waiting at the table or perhaps outside in the parking lot. Then she listened out for his dulcet tones because, where ever he sat, he must've been deeply reflecting in his own thoughts.

Frustratingly, the male attendant seemed to be taking an abnormal amount of time to check and find the table booking. Misako could have easily called over the tables to make her presence known but she wanted to avoid the commotion. Instead, she raised her self onto her tiptoes inconspicuously and peered around the corner.

He was there was alright, sitting behind a pane of glass. Seeing him for a few hours last night had made it far easier to identify him in this place. He seemed to ooze charisma, Max had an aura about him but it made him no outstanding gentlemen. He looked like any other middle aged guy. He just carried himself different, with an air of confidence. His smile, even from across the room was bright and alluring and there was definitely a hint a sweet seduction in those clear eyes. Misako was determined that she wouldn't be lured in so easily this time. She wasn't here to date, she was here for answers.

Almost 19:30 in the evening, among the crowd of romantic couples that had gathered at the restaurant to relax and unwind, or those that just wanted to enjoy the company they sought, sat one man. He was a vision in grey with the subtle accompaniment of an off white geometric print shirt. He stood out against the mellow hues of blue and green that adorned the walls.

The restaurant had one of the best views of the bay. Full length windows to give the patrons everything that Santa Carla had to offer. Then there was the historic Boardwalk, it was lit up and looked incredibly inviting. Main street too, with its boutiques and expensive restaurants, then were the lights of the wooden roller coaster which could be seen clearly, making quite the scenic backdrop. The ambient music made it all that much better.

"Table twenty three, come I'll take you there. Your host is seated and waiting." The waitress took Misako's coat, writing the table number on it before handing it to the attendant.

"Thank you," Misako smiled politely. She moved aside to allow the waitress free passage, being as she didn't know the direction table twenty three was at.

She cringed when she realised that this particular table was outside on the balcony, candlelit too with gas patio heaters for warmth.

"Misako," He smiled widely, standing to greet her as she got to the table. He waked around the table to greet her.

Embarrassed with his show of manly etiquette, she smiled awkwardly. "Really, there's no need for this chivalry," she stated.

"Chivalry is dead." He stated, matter of fact.

His cold tone taking her by surprise as did the accompanying knowing smile.

"But, there are no rules to say a gentleman cannot stand for a _lady_. Misako, would you join me for dinner?" He motioned to her seat.

 _'Ugh so cheesy._ ' Cringing inside, Misako entertained him and his kind gesture, yet she wasn't overly comfortable with using his first name yet. Annoyingly, he seemed perfectly at ease using hers though.

Cocking an eyebrow, she looked at him with a questioning gaze. "You must think I'm a piece of bread that needs to be buttered so heavily?"

He looked mildly put out by her statement. "Not at all," he countered, a crooked smile on his face that revealed salt white teeth. "I was taught how to treat a lady with respect. _Evidently_ , I'm a dying breed."

She smiled graciously as he pulled her chair out before she sat. A faint blush coming to her cheeks. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to offend. I guess, we can blame the changing times and feminism for chivalry going out of the window?" Was he hitting on her, it certainly felt it. She took her seat as the waitress pushed it in slightly.

Max sat down opposite. "Force of habit, though, I wouldn't called it chivalrous, more along the lines of being a gentleman?" He shrugged, winking at her. "Thank you for coming on such short notice too."

Max had reached across onto her side and lifted the solitary pink rose, placing it in front of her face, in case she hadn't seen it.

How could she not? The more she looked at the rose, the more she realised his intentions for this evening. Her stance changed, and instantly she became guarded and circumspect. "I never said there was anything wrong with it. And, thank you, this isn't really pleasure though is it?"

"Oh, I was kind of hoping it would be, at least semi pleasurable?" Max feigned hurt. Expression changing like the weather. "I've taken the liberty of ordering wine to go with the meal, house red and sauvignon blanc, in case the lady wants seafood." Max looked at her, noting she was perusing the drinks list. "I hope you like my choice..Cheval Des Andes?"

Was she supposed to be impressed by his choice? Sure it was an expensive bottle with a high alcohol content but she wasn't planning on getting drunk this night. "Hmm."

Awkwardly, she looked back at the drinks list. The chosen wines weren't overly expensive by the glass, until she realised that Max had bought the bottle, both red and white. "That's very presumptuous of you. How do you know I'd like wine? I could have been a spirit's girl?"

Swirling the small amount of red wine in his glass, he drew a deep breath in and savoured the smell. Saying nothing, he cast a shifty glance at her.

"I might have been a woman with different tastes?" She questioned, watching as the waiter poured a sample amount into her finely fluted glass.

They both took a tentative sip. Max of course, nodded in acceptance, almost immediately.

Filling her glass, he passed it to her gently. His smooth soft fingers grazing her own, _on purpose_. "I should say that you look like woman who knows good quality and has exceptional taste."

Her smile was exceedingly cocky. "Looks can be deceiving, don't you agree?"

His smile widened. "Indeed I do. So tell me Misako, what brings you here?"

"My son and his brothers, mostly."

"I sense you are very thoughtful too, you are a mother to these other boys then?"

"In a sense, yes. I guess you could say I am." She nodded, taking a sip of wine, it had a certain taste to it, quite a palate. "Boys need a mother figure." She didn't give much more away. She hadn't really been there all that much for her own son, she had her reasons to stay away, not that Max needed to know about that aspect of her life.

"They do, it's one of my sayings..." He threw that out there. Fishing to see if she would pick up on the small fact he had insinuated he had his own children.

Placing her glass down gently. The waitress was stood at the table with a small notebook in hand. Turning to face her, Misako perused the specials, going down the parchment menu with her index finger crossing things off in her mind. Today she favoured seafood, considering their proximity to the ocean and the fruits de la mer that were on offer.

"I'll have something light to start, hmm, the Caesar salad with a blue cheese dressing." She looked back at the menu, a small smile on her face. "And the lobster thermidor." She passed the menu back, picking up her glass again, she sipped a small amount.

Max barely looked at his menu, he knew what he wanted. "Steak Tartare and a blue steak for main, hold the dressings." He passed the menu back but didn't look at the waitress, his eyes were still on Misako's.

"Do you have children?" She asked. Avoiding the tousling of her hair. In her nervous state, she wanted to twiddle with the end of it because this was such an awkward meeting. She hardly knew the man and here she was, having a three course meal with him. This could have been considered a date. It was insinuated by her own son and Zane likened it to such. Misako was quick to state that it was anything but.

She realised he hadn't answered her question. Now thinking that perhaps her question was very forward, she felt she needed to explain the reason for it. "You mentioned about your favourite saying, that boy's need a mother?"

"I did say that didn't I? And yes, I do have children," he said with a nod. "Four boys, actually."

She smiled at that. "So you'd know all about discipline then. What they get up to?"

"Indeed, we have something in common, I believe?"

"Do your sons live at home?" She felt like she was prying somewhat. Her glass, in front of her ruby red lips as she took a drink of the white wine. "Or have they become independent young men?"

Smiling as he copied her movements. "My boys left home, five years ago now. Independent, I see them on occasion." He took a sip of his wine, expression unreadable. "So, was this a planned trip then or are you here to stay?" Taking a further sip, he moved his hands when the cold starters were placed. "Santa Carla is a wonderful place for youngsters."

Well he wasn't wrong. From only being here for a few days it was certainly picturesque, in parts. "No, it wasn't planned."

Max was intrigued by her vague answer, so much so that he leaned across the table, voice lowered, seductively. "So tell me Misako, what brings you here then, if it's not for pleasure or the sunshine? Or indeed the beautiful scenery"

Once she'd finished masticating, she placed her cutlery to the side and sat back, uncomfortable with his leering position. She looked up into his dangerous blue eyes. "I came here for my son, first and foremost."

"Was he missing you?"

"Perhaps." She wasn't overly comfortable with him wanting to know about her son. Unless he was genuinely interested in being friend rather than a romantic endeavour. "I chose to come here, as I said."

"Oh, don't get me wrong. One of my sons was very shy too, he was the last to leave, heavily swayed by his brothers to leave the nest so young. I thought it was a bad idea but often a father's voice is not as persuasive as a mothers'."

"My son isn't shy." She wiped her mouth delicately, arms retrieved from the table as the waitress took the empty plates. "And answers as to one of my son's disappearance."

Max looked mildly sympathetic. "There are quite a few around here that go missing. Some run away, he could have done that?"

"Hmm," Misako cast him a cautious look. "Jay would never run away."

She felt like she'd said too much, maybe it was the strong wine.

Max's eyebrow rose. "He sounds like a strong minded boy?" He replied, nonchalantly.

He wasn't going to give anything away. He knew quite the opposite, Jay was determined and fierce, a real live wire, unruly and in need of strong discipline that only the widow Johnson could afford. In fact, he looked down at his watch, she would more than likely be dishing out that same discipline around now, perhaps the whole night to shut his smart mouth up for good.

"I wouldn't say strong minded." She shook her head gently, "Jay is determined, overly cautious, but he always comes through for his brothers, for his family."

"So you believe he's gone missing, not run away from it all?"

"No, he would never run away, Jay isn't like that. He's worked too hard for everything to simply give it up and run, why would he?"

Max shrugged. "People do silly things sometimes, you'd be surprised how life can affect youngsters, what with being so close to the Mexican border." He reasoned, filling his and Misako's glass once more.

"He wouldn't just abandon his family."

"People change Misako." Max said softly, a condescending tone to his words. "Tell me, is Jay highly strung, temperamental, easily upset?" He already knew the answer to that, Jay had been crying in his sleep.

She nodded slowly. "He may come across as highly strung but it doesn't impede him, often he uses it to his advantage."

"Aww bless the poor boy." Max smirked, tipping his glass up. "Why do you think he was so sensitive?" Max, inquired, trying to work out the boy's weaknesses.

Thinking back, Misako knew the reasons why Jay was highly strung, not that she was going to tell him every reason. "He's always been like it really. They all have their quirks though. I rather think that Jay's sensitivity is focused on his caused by failure, lack of acknowledgement, ignorance, the sort of things that would affect anyone negatively."

The main courses had been brought out on a large platter due to the sheer amount of sides that came with both. The lobster was red and steaming hot, save for Max's blue seared steak, which had just had its butt wiped and sliced and put on the plate, it could have still been mooing, considering how raw it was inside.

Both dishes were placed in front of the hungry diners, more salad than was necessary, bread sticks and garlic meshed potatoes. Max, purposely pushed that dish away and Misako loaded her pate with it. Thinking to herself that if Max's plan was to get her drunk this night, then she'd make it extremely unpleasant for him.

"He's different isn't he, Jay I mean? Is he a normal boy?"

She was becoming suspicious of Max's insistence to know so much about Jay. Purposely avoiding giving too much away. "Jay's individual, like his brothers, he's as normal as any other boy his age." She eyed his food with disgust, trying her hardest not to turn her nose up.

His steak was surrounded by bloodied meat juices, and he thought nothing of using the French sliced baguette to soak it up before he ate it. Cutting into the steak, he watched her as she ate too. Waiting till she'd taken and swallowed her first bite, noticing she was a little on edge, easily scared. "Misako?"

A sound like a squeaky window caught her unawares. It didn't look like any of the windows or doors were open though, if anything it sounded like it came from the night sky. She jumped at Max's voice as it startled her, wiping her mouth quickly, she looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Something bothering you, you seem a little _jumpy_?"

"Oh, just old memories coming back to haunt me." She giggled to herself, slightly embarrassed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"No seriously," Max had tilted his head, a look of sympathy on his face. "Why are you so jumpy tonight?"

Cringing, Misako took a deep self depreciating sigh. "Well, it was something that my son," She tutted to herself, "He seemed so sincere, it seems insane.

"No really, I promise not to laugh."

Lowering her voice so much so that the wind would take the words away before anyone else had the chance to hear her. Eyes closed and cringing. "My son seems to be obsessed with something silly that he's been reading."

"You know overactive imaginations and the sort of things that some boys have?" She stated, embarrassed.

"Tell me, I won't judge."

Misako felt utterly uncomfortable. "Just silly things, it's stupid, I shouldn't really let it bother me so much..."

He sat back, placing his cutlery and wiping his mouth. "Please!"

Blushing slightly, Misako sighed. "He won't stop talking about vampires."

Rather than flat out laughing in her face, his expression remained flat, unreadable. "Maybe it's good that you're here, some kids let their imaginations run wild and get away from them. It can land them in terrible danger."

"Hmm, maybe you're right. I think I may need to limit his accessibility to comics and movies from now on."

Max looked sad for a split second. "You don't have to forgo the videos, we do more than horror in my store, comedy and romance too. Not very exciting but we can peruse a few titles if you like? Least that way you'll have something to watch later tonight or tomorrow."

"I don't know, life with a houseful of young men doesn't allow me much time for relaxing. There's always food to prepare, laundry to do, things to listen to."

"Come Misako, _Eat_. Your food will go cold." He urged, leaning forward until his hands grasped hers. "I would never let anything harm you."

Misako, raised her eyebrow. "You barely know me?"

"I know I like you,"

"Is that enough?" She countered, her hands still in his.

"We could get to know each other better?" He added.

Her hands gently pulled out of his grasp, settling on her cutlery again. She ate her meal with gusto, not wanting to think about Max making a move on her so quickly. "Thank you for offering to pay for this meal Max, you didn't have to do this."

"I only wanted to clear the air, apologise for how my staff treated your two boys."

"And you have and _did_. Max, this is a little extravagant, don't you think?"

He shook his head, smiling. "Not for you."

* * *

 **Enjoy, y'all.**

 **Again, deviating slightly, because the movie clip of the meal ends with the vampire's attacking the house...which means next chapter will be the Siege. And a heck load of blood...**


	39. First fight

It was only a matter of seconds now, before a deadly countdown would occur. Yep, a group of ninja and vampire slayers having a fight for survival against creatures of the night. _More specifically_ , four blood sucking brutal killers who'd think nothing of ripping the throats out of everyone in the house, regardless of their involvement in Marco's re-death. Well, Marco was dead to begin with, he was a full vampire who had killed more than his fair share of innocents.

Cole had slammed the front door so hard that it was a small wonder, the glass panels hadn't shattered on contact within the solid, sturdy wooden frame. Looking straight at Star, Laddie and Lloyd and thinking of their safety first and foremost, he looked at Eddie and Alan Frog and pointed to the staircase. "TAKE THEM UP STAIRS!" He ordered. The time for calmness and niceties had flown out of the window, along with their survival.

Edgar took charge, making sure that everyone ran behind him as he stood three stairs up directing everyone past him. "Right, come on guys!" He grasped Alan, not wanting to be separated from his own twin.

His brother made sure to grab the backpacks with additional stakes in whilst moving the woman, child and Lloyd up the stairs in quick succession. " **Move it** , _move it!_ "

Cole watched as they ran up the steps, time being against them all, no thanks to that little escapade of Lloyd's. As a final act of self preservation, Cole had quickly turned the sofa with help from Kai, propping it against the living room windows. Energy purely being supplied by adrenaline, he would have had more energy too, if Lloyd hadn't decided on a whim to run outside after nightfall to rescue a dog. He was fairly sure that the tethered dog would have been the least of their worries, if anything; David and his brothers would have bypassed it completely.

But now, because of that stupid mistake, the vampires knew where they were hiding. David would have figured it out eventually, they'd been here before anyway, the night after Cole was turned.

 _Riding up and down on their motorbikes like they owned the place and the minute Cole had opened the door, they were nowhere to be seen, having vanished into the night. That was the same evening he found out about himself, the night so much occurred, that Cole questioned his sanity. Culminating in his inability to eat, coupled with trying to attack his brother, having no reflection and finding out he could fly. That was the night everything had changed, the very same that he realised something catastrophic had developed._

Turning around, it was just him and Kai downstairs, everyone else had scarpered. Lloyd had ran up the stairs with Eddie and his brother. Each going in various directions, Laddie and Star had gone into the safe confines of Cole's bedroom. Though he didn't trust those Frog brothers at all. They'd think nothing of staking even a half vampire. Heck, they had mentioned it themselves. " _If you get in our way, I won't think twice about staking you where you stand_."

Most of the heavy furniture had been propped against the windows, any areas of vulnerability were boarded up. No chances were given to these blood thirsty creatures. Even the fire had been lit, mainly in case there would be a power cut but also to prevent them from using the chimney flue as an entrance point.

He observed Kai's face in the firelight and noticed how tense he looked. It was to be expected, of course. The master of fire still had a level of determination visible on his young face, ready to take on these deadly creatures; of the likes he'd never met before. And regardless of the fact he had no idea what he was up against, he stood by Cole's side, strength in numbers, unsure as to where the first level of attack would occur.

"Good luck bro."

"You too, Kai." Cole's jaw was clenched. Two things on his mind, namely: whether Star would be safe upstairs with the two teenagers who seemed adamant in getting as many slayings under their belt before they turned twenty. And that Lloyd would be safe, because he was there in the cave when it happened, he was partially responsible, they'd seen his face which made him as guilty as the Frog Brothers, in effect, Lloyd was an accomplice to the slaying of Marco.

Cole and Kai had been crouching near the upturned sofa, watching and waiting in case they were needed elsewhere. Cole, inconspicuously peering through the wooden blinds, it revealed nothing of any importance which led him to wonder which way these men were choosing to enter. Then, two things occurred in the blink of an eye; firstly, the fireplace flames died down, secondly, the roof clattered noisily with that god awful racket that resembled the fluttering of some large fleshy skinned wings with the additional noise of crazed heckling laughter.

They cast a worried glance at each other when the noise increased to a loud din and then petered out to nothing.

Neither had any time to react nor process what transpired next. They were naively expecting these vampires to attempt to come down the chimney or at least through the windows. But evidently this vampire had other ideas. The blood thirsty creature came through the actual chimney breast, leaving both ninja staring in terrified shock and a little awe at the sheer strength.

Cole had to hand it to Dwayne, that entrance was indeed very dramatic.

Typically it was too damned dark for Kai to discern which of the three remaining vampires this was, after all...Cole had only given the basic identifiers. But, whomsoever it appeared to be, he was laughing maniacally, having flown through the stone walled chimney breast, hands first. Without so much as a scratch or hair out of place.

Cole thought about that for a millisecond, thinking that he could use that at another time. Paul was the same, both used too much hairspray that if they came too close to a naked flame they'd go up like a burning marshmallow, hair alight.

Dwayne was flying and at one stage both Cole and Kai thought he was flying at them, _he wasn't_. He had flown up into the high ceiling and exposed beams of the living room. Effortlessly, he secured a perfect acrobatic grasp and swing on to the stag antler light chandelier as it dangled precariously from the high ceiling. It was most definitely Dwayne; one of the only Vampire brood that Cole didn't see eye to eye with.

"I'm gonna enjoy this." He muttered through gritted teeth.

A split second later and he had swung off the light fixture, as the whole thing came crashing to the floor with an almighty racket. The loss of the multi bulbed light fixture had blanketed the room in semi darkness, save for a faint red glow.

Neither Cole nor Kai had much time to process it as Dwayne landed and perfected a square kick to Cole's temple and Kai took the full brunt of a blow to the face with Dwayne's fist.

* * *

He wasn't sure what had woken him, but he could hear some serious issues going on upstairs in the bathroom and the kitchen. It was loud enough, the masculine screams and shouts mixed in with the gurgling waste water pipes and the sounds that came from the kitchen, resembling the waste disposal and macerator that might have been struggling with something large.

It felt like hours had passed in the blink of an eye, when Kai groggily opened his own and rubbed the dust from his face. Instantly, his face felt wet and tender, licking his lips, he cringed at the metallic tang. It was his own blood he could taste. Gingerly touching his face, it was slick with blood. His only injury, his nose felt broken, it was pouring slowly from the bridge of his nose and nostrils. That didn't concern him really because Cole had uttered something pertaining to fast healing. Pushing that to the back of his mind, he focused on Cole and the uncanny silence that befell the room.

Kai was far more concerned with the quietness of his brother, whom he was grasping for in the semi darkness. Finally, he found a warm prone body, he felt for him, pulling him closer. It was Cole alright, Kai could just make out the profiling and shaggy black hair. "C-Cole, Cole?" He gave some firm shakes, but it was painfully obvious that he was out cold.

Looking around, everything seemed red, some sort of standby light gave a faint glow that covered everything on the floor with a red hue.

Warily looking to his side, he found the floor lamp, hoping to God that it still had power to it and that the circuit breaker for the chandelier must have been on a different fuse. One last attempt at rousing, he gave another firm squeeze to his brothers trapezius muscle, the only pain receptor that Cole would have responded to, _if he'd been sleeping_. "Cole, wake up dude."

Face set into extremes of worry and uncertainty, Kai looked around desperately. It was deadly silent, nothing else could be heard from upstairs, just the sounds of churning and gurgling water from the kitchen, _as before_. Hazel Eyes back on his brother, Cole was breathing, but not responsive to pain. Running out of options, Kai looked around quickly. He could see the floor lamp, the pigskin light shade was laying on its side. He could only hope it still had power, otherwise he'd more than likely be dead in no time.

Thinking on the fly, instead of getting up and chancing an upright stroll and risk having his head ripped off, he decided on a commando crawl and shuffled quickly across the floor. Grasping the lamp by its central support, Kai felt for the switch and cautiously flicked it to the 'on' position, feeling a fleeting sense of relief when the thing emitted a bright sixty watt glow that gave more peace of mind.

Grabbing the wooden shaft with both hands, he lifted the lit end off the floor and pointed it diagonally. Gulping nervously, he moved it from the darkest alcove to the staircase. Kai had no idea how fast these guys moved, just that they were exceptionally strong and could bust through a solid wall, as had been proven.

Tipping the floor lamp further, Kai peered cautiously through the open end, shining the brightest beam of it toward the nearest alcove of the living room ceiling. Now he knew why these guys wore black, they were impossible to see in the sky at night, same could be said of shadows.

"Where are you ya bastard?" He whispered under his breath, simultaneously checking Cole for signs of life. His brother was laying on his front, head turned to the side, least he hadn't face planted. Though, he went down like a brick wall. Checking his breathing again, all was okay there. Cole had the faintest signs of a head wound, a slight trickle of blood from his temple that was steadily drying onto the side of his face. Other than that, he looked like he was sleeping, albeit with a crick in the neck. He shook him again to no avail. "Cole, wake up."

The moment he let his gaze fall from the exposed beams above him was quite possibly the worst decision that night. He gave the unseen vampire an opening, and it was taken without thinking twice.

Dwayne swooped down with an angry roar. Grasping Kai around the face, he hoisted him off the floor with ease, taking him twelve feet up in to the high roof of the living room.

Rather than scream like a banshee, Kai stared horrified into the face of the black haired vampire. He didn't even know his name, Cole hadn't managed to tell him before he was knocked clean out and seeing stars.

"This is, p-private property." Kai gasped out, oxygen slowly being cut off.

He flashed a wicked smile, revealing a set of elongated fangs for Kai's pleasure. "Yeah haa, we kinda figured, all those boarded up windows, such a pain in the ass."

Kai didn't react with surprise, he showed no fear at all. "Maybe you didn't hear me, _y-you're tr-trespassing_." He said, revealing his own razor blade smile.

Dwayne squeezed tighter. "Oh I heard ya, we just don't give a shit."

"Hmph, I never could understand why Cole would ever want to hang around with a group of suck monkey's like you." He said, face curving into a cocky smirk.

"You don't know do ya?" Dwayne smiled in response. "Where your brother is?"

"They got him hooked real good, draining him every night, sucking him dry because of the coke."

"What? J-Jay?" His face revealing a sense of hurt at what was being uttered. "W-we'll get him back after we've killed every last one of you filthy blood suckers."

Still smiling with a smug grin. "You're one of us too, makes you just as bad," Dwayne countered, checking Kai's neck for bite marks. "You'll be too late."

"Still, we can try, and if we die trying at least we'll take you down with us."

Kai figured that this vampire was playing with him, trying to elicit reactions of fear, anger and disgust so he'd start thrashing around, it wasn't going to work. Instead, he focused on his free hands and groped around his back pocket, finding what he had stashed there earlier. The water pistol, loaded with holy water. A split second decision, Kai pointed the green pistol between the eyes of the vampire and pulled the pistol.

The moment the water was ejected, the vampire hissed out in pain. Reflexively, his hands flew to his face and his grasp loosened on Kai's face. The latter, fell unceremoniously to the floor. Landing haphazardly on the only piece of furniture that hadn't been toppled or propped against the window.

He was still grunting and groaning, holding onto his face in what Kai could only assume was abject pain. That fact was only solidified when Kai took a quick glimpse at the vampire who had tried to snap his neck. He was steaming, his face was literally steaming. That alone, gave him some hope that holy water had amazing results on full vampires, something he was hugely grateful for now.

Thinking no more on it and more on his own survival, Kai made a mad dash scramble for the table. Even though he despised those two Frog brothers, he couldn't help but feel a little admiration at the fact they'd left some weapons down here. A lifesaver, the bucket of gold at the end of the bloody rainbow. There on the table was a basic bow with a low draw weight; chosen by Zane. It was even complete with a couple of fibre glass arrows. Kai grabbed it setting it up as quickly as he could.

Kai thought it evident now, the vampire was attempting to make another attack as he flew back toward him with his arms outstretched, ready to grab and tear him limb from limb, but rather than feel intimidation or flee for his life. He lined up the shot, releasing the arrow.

He never was one for a good aim, but he remained positive that the arrow had hit its mark. Holding his breath, the vampire had gone down without the slightest grunt of pain. Kai advanced with a level of vigilance, having briefly remembered what Eddie had said in relation to no two vampires going out the same way. This one was still on the floor, no hissing, nor writhing and most certainly he hadn't exploded or imploded.

The vampire had got up remarkably fast, laughing, though Kai guessed the laugh exhibited to be a pained and extremely annoyed one, there was no humour.

Dwayne chuckled as he stood. "You missed, sucker," he said, through gritted teeth. Face now slick with a mixture of sweat and the remnants of holy water.

Kai's jaw clenched. He had always been a sore loser, such a competitive young man, that a little beasting would annoy him further, rather than encourage him to persevere. ' _Figures_ ', Kai cussed internally. He grabbed the sole remaining arrow from behind him, never letting his eyes of the vampire in his peripheral. Heck, he'd ram it through the vampires chest if he got close enough.

"Only once buddy, only once." He muttered, clearly enough for the vampire to hear.

In quick succession, Kai had loaded the arrow, using three fingers to lightly hold it on the string. He raised it and drew the bow, aiming at the close target and relaxed his fingers to release the sharpened fibreglass projectile. Then, he simply watched as the arrow embedded itself into the vampire's chest, sending him reeling backwards and into the stereo.

The effect was instantaneous, loud and bright, Dwayne had flown backwards that fast, that the arrow had penetrated the stereo too. The fibreglass projectile scratched up some of the circuit boards making the whole electronic device come to life.

Instinctively, Kai ran for cover, draping his arm over Cole whilst his free arm shielded his eyes from the extremes of brightness now apparent in this darkened room.

The whole electronic device, including the attached vampire and embedded arrow, were shuddering uncontrollably. Mixed with the god awful racket of a screeching dying vampire, there was no wonder that Cole was showing signs of finally rousing from his forced slumber. Right on cue, Cole had woken up with the sparking of the device as it struggled to cope with the power surge of having fried boards and a liquid element spilling into it from having travelled through the vampire's chest first.

Kai thought that at least Jay may have enjoyed the light show. 'C _ome on...hold on Jay, we're coming for you next_.'

Exponentially, it got worse. Firstly, Cole noticed that Dwayne lost his head. The skull exploded with a huge pressure build up, along with his arms and hands, leaving only his body attached, briefly until that too fell to the floor with a sickening slap of cooked meat. His remaining torso, minus limbs were slowly smouldering on the wooden parquet.

"Ugh, that was...sick." Cole muttered, shielding his eyes.

"Death by stereo!" Kai said. A smile on his face despite his bloodied appearance. Still watching the scene before him, not having lost his cool the once. He was quick to feel Cole attempt to lift him off the floor. It wasn't needed, Kai was buzzing with adrenaline. He was still new to this whole vampire thing, only having tapped into his vampire side the once by mistake. This time, he'd used it to his advantage, not having lost his temper at all.

"Come on, let's go." Cole urged dragging his spiky haired brother up the stairs.

* * *

 **Enjoy, review or just read**.

 **MoC- Max is charming, he's suave.**

 **Brightscales214- Thank you, hope you enjoyed this one too.**

 **Ebony- Well, I tried to make her more likeable. I agree with the movie version mom though.**


	40. Oh, it's so on

**Mayor of Ninjago city; yup *death by stereo* - It's a way to go, albeit painful and loud and musical too.**

 **RandomDragon; hahaha, I love those little ninja chats. Oh no, this story is real, those poor ninja lololol (AU obviously)**

 **MoC; Cole is good at being in charge and Kai is good at being cocky and testing those boundaries. These things are vastly altered by the effects of vampirism.**

 **This chapter was hard to write because I worried that I wasn't putting enough emotion into it.**

 **Also, I should add: Their elements are affected by their emotions, we know this. Lloyd has a fear of vampires since Cole tried to kill him. Cole had a fear of being powerless to stop them. Also reprimanded and unable to use his element because of the proximity to San Andreas. Then is the fire elemental; Kai, fear of being obscure. Nya's reaction could have intensified this fear.**

* * *

What utter joy, Cole thought, _sarcastically_.

The room they were both in was blanketed in partial darkness. The open access ceiling was covered in shadows and pitch black areas, alluding to the possibility that a creature of the night could be hiding there too. They had just been caught out by the same, after all,

B _loody Dwayne and his circus acrobatic acts_. Cole fumed under his breath, rubbing the side of his head where Dwayne's foot had made it's earlier connection.

And yes, secondly. Trust Donald to live in the back of beyond, out in the middle of nowhere, in the sticks, or whatever Cole wanted to call it right at that moment. He heaved himself toward the stairs with his hyped up brother at his side. Simply put, this house stood solitary, and the nearest neighbour was a good half mile away. What was worse, there were no streetlights, and for the moment, no moonlight either. The only natural light was hidden by a large storm cloud because of the oppressive heat they had experienced today.

Unfortunately, the lack of light, meant that the vampires had the upper hand, they had adapted to live in the dark, it was where they thrived, in the cave out in the open. Heck, they lived their lives during nightfall, being dark, broody and mysterious as the night itself. Their clothing choice only served to increase their dark nature, and it helped them to survive and to feed.

Side by side seemed preferable as both ran full pelt toward the solid wood hill that led upward towards the bedrooms. Stumbling every so often as they went over the broken strewn furniture that lay haphazardly at their feet. Cautiously, Kai observed his brother as he walked, considering Cole hadn't long been upright after being knocked out cold.

"Thanks Kai." A quick surge of adrenaline soon got the vampire blood boiling in Cole's veins, his stance adjusted accordingly and he put a comforting arm around Kai's waist. "I'm fine, seriously." Now looking sheepish, "And I kinda owe you one."

"Don't," he warned, _gently_. "It was kill or be killed, no chances and no second guessing, I did what had to be done."

"You kinda saved my life back there."

Kai snorted, "well, sorta, you're half dead as is, I just preserved the other half, _the better half_."

"Oh haha. See, now you choose the most inopportune time to use humour, right when we're about to get our asses handed to us on a plate."

"There's always time for a little laugh. You ever heard of gallows humour, black humour?" He replied, jumping around with such nimbleness that Cole watched with some amusement.

Kai was bursting with adrenaline at having taken one vampire down himself. In fact, he still wore the cocky grin with pride as Cole had hoisted him off the ground, even mid way up the stairs the grin was there. "Still two to go, unless they've had any successes." He motioned upwards as they traversed the steps.

"You realise these guys won't play fair, they'll use the darkness against us?"

Sadly, because he was still hyped of surviving his first vampire fight, he still bore the excitement. Though his eyes were not the feral shade of yellow associated with a vampire, he still wore the razor blade smile. And, if he wasn't careful, the Frog brothers would stake him too.

Hiding his mouth, he looked back at Cole as they neared the middle of the staircase. "I know about the darkness thing, Dwayne kinda took out the stag chandelier and then grabbed at me like I was the last special GI Joe on the shelf."

Cole chuckled at the humour, the smile soon dropped. "What the hell?" He mumbled, pulling Kai.

"What are we..." Yanked to a firm stop, Kai found himself being hauled to Cole's side, summarily forced to stand still. He followed Cole's index finger to the double doors of the kitchen. "Ohhhh. Wait, what is that?"

Cole's annoying reluctance to move had Kai following his line of sight. The earth master was morbidly enraptured by the devastation in the kitchen. Every so many milliseconds, he could see the sink and other such plumbed in appliances spewing what he assumed to be blood of some sort.

Staring in confusion at something that mystified the both of them. The kitchen doors were closed, but there was water splashing up against it and some of the water seeped through the gap. That, in itself was odd, what was more unsettling was the colour of the fluid as it splashed repeatedly on the glass of the doors like the kitchen itself had become a bloody dishwasher, or someone was in there, making one hell of a mess.

It was spilling over the door and gently lapping beneath it, making Cole question what the hell had caused it.

"Come on!" Kai nudged, hoping to rouse his brother out of his momentary inertia. "Cole, come on. We gotta check on the others."

Cole nodded, pushing Kai upstairs before him. He, _however_ , stood rooted to the spot, watching the blood tinged water as it splashed relentlessly upon the tiled walls and blood smeared windows on the doors.

It wasn't like Cole or Kai could pull out a monkey wrench nor adjustable spanner to fix the damn thing, plus, it wasn't high on their list of priorities either. Shaking his head, Cole focused on getting back to the task in hand. He needed to get upstairs too, least to check on Lloyd and Star. And, he was about to do the same, considering everything upstairs was deathly silent. Again, the only noise was the sewerage pipes and, additionally, the sounds of a hefty supply of water being bespattered onto the tiled kitchen floor.

Head down, Cole rushed up toward the upper floor, hoping to catch up on positive news pertaining to the successful take down of yet another vampire. He wasn't however, expecting what happened next.

Appearing from the shadows and hanging from his uncovered talon ridden feet David's face came into view, too close for comfort. "Raahhh." He yelled, somewhat childishly. Still hanging upside down with a sickeningly sharp smile, he stared into Cole's eyes.

Inches, and no more, lay between Cole and David as both took a second to reacquaint themselves with each other. Cole had no time to react, as Davids hands shot out from the shadows. The vampire grasped Cole's T-shirt and quickly pushed him backwards until he lost his balance.

 _Well, at least Kai had made it up the stairs in one piece_. Cole thought as he went tumbling back down, because of some unforeseen force. Kai hadn't seen him, he had his head down as he ran up the stairs to check on his brother. Taking another painful tumble, this time Cole took out the newel post that held the banister rail in place and the whole thing fractured onto the floor. He groaned when he landed awkwardly.

Now this was starting to become a regular, annoying, painful occurrence. Almost an entire week had passed since the first time he fell down the stairs, that time he fell from top to bottom and boy did it hurt, _he felt every step too_.

 _Damned wooden staircases, carpets were so much more forgiving, though they gave burns too_.

Cole cringed as he righted himself, his right brow felt tender to touch, the skin was most definitely broken, it was leaving a steady trail down his cheekbone.

Valiantly, Cole was swift to get back onto his feet, his honed body tense and waiting for another blow. Gazing eyes warily drawn to the darkest parts of the living room ceiling. All the time wondering... _What was it with Donald and his fondness for exposed beams, that old guy was just like Sensei Wu!._

No sooner had he switched from looking at one beam to another, he received a vicious blow to the side of the face. That was soon followed by the sound of a cruel and mocking laughter. This blow felt more like a play tap. Cole was still standing, though his hand had reflexively gone up to soothe the sting that resided on his left cheek.

First thoughts; it felt like he'd been scratched, open palmed at that. Gritting his jaw at the dirty fighting tactics that David was exuding. Cole dabbed it with his open palm and the purposeful touch revealed two dark crimson coloured fine lines, indicative of lacerations. These weren't the type of injuries that were synonymous with a closed fist punch, but rather, an open handed strike.

Suddenly, his ears picked up a disturbance upstairs. It was fairly easy to differentiate the sounds of the Frog brothers screaming loudly, they sounded like a couple of girls. Hell, even Star didn't scream that loud when Cole took her for the first time.

Relief flooded over him as he heard the all too familiar sounds of Lloyd too, wondering what they hell had caused such a loud outburst. He deduced that perhaps Kai had been sent to deal with Star, or maybe to stay away. His mind wandered for a split second and David took advantage.

This was like being back at school and those pesky kids who waited until your back was turned before taking a lucky pot shot. It was dishonourable at best, especially for a trained fighter such as Cole. This hit had struck him at the back of the head, just behind his right ear. Once more, his hand touched the wound; they were steadily increasing and he was getting more ticked off by the second.

"You afraid to face me David?" He said, looking upward. " _ **HUH?**_ ". At the same time, listening to the creaking wood as it gave an indication as to where David was likely hiding.

Finally, a shadow on the furthest wall. " _Come on,_ " Cole mouthed, barely heard by himself.

"I tried to make you immortal, Cole." David said, suddenly running at a fast watching and waiting for David to make his move, or at least to play fair. He figured that was out of the window too, being that David was running from one end of the room to the other, completely unseen by Cole.

" _ **No, you're trying to make me a KILLER!**_ " Cole shouted in response.

The blow knocked him over, a definite punch this time, because he very nearly face planted. He remained low, crouching to the ground. Cole span around to face his adversary, surprising David in the process with the same facial expression. One born of anger, revenge and death. The overarching need for survival began to kick in, it weighed heavily on his mind as he sized up his opponent.

That smug and cocky grin had been wiped off his sun deprived face in an instant when he realised his mistake. He'd driven Cole to such a level of emotion fuelled anger that his vampire side had taken over.

Cole's eyes were the same feral shade of yellow, tinged with a blood red border. Sweat now dousing his face, whilst his nose bled, joining the additional injuries already sustained. Temple pulsing with anger at this unfair treatment. Cole hadn't managed to get any shots in at all because the douche bag kept to the ceiling and beams. He chose the higher ground, quite literally placing himself above everyone else.

"You _are_ a killer." David replied, face devoid of emotion, expressionless but pure evil lurked behind those eyes.

Very slowly, David's mouth curled into a cruel smile. Watching intently as Cole licked his own blood from his nasal cleft as it dribbled onto his top lip.

David chuckled to himself, laughing at the spectacle of Cole and the look of hatred plastered on his bloodied face. David was caught off guard as Cole leaped into the air. In some aspects he had come here for this and this alone, to them a lesson. But then, Cole was strong, dependable to a certain extent, a daredevil too.

There was still a chance he could sway the black haired Cole, maybe get others to join their brood too. But all that went out of the window as he flew towards Cole colliding mid air, grasping at each other with meat hungry claws and teeth that were meant for ripping and tearing. Nothing but animalistic grunts could be heard as both grasped desperately for that position of power.

No words were spoken. Cole had a plan. One entire side of the living room wall was covered in stag antlers. Perfect as a stake, Cole though and maybe one could impale David.

Still, weightlessness took some getting used to, and, as he hauled his body so that he could see the antlers clearly, he lurched forwards and drove David towards the wall. Flying through mid air, Cole hoped that he could at least try and over power the head vampire.

At the last moment, such bad luck befell Cole. His simple plan hadn't quite worked out because David had slightly altered his flight trajectory, it backfired but not massively. He landed on a bare patch of wall, devoid of any antlers or wall hangings, ten feet up in the air. The wall trembled violently as Cole tapped into that heavily unstable element of earth, restraining himself at the last moment before the house could collapse with everyone in it.

Cole had a firm grasp on David's jaw, but he wasn't strong enough to prevent David's head from swivelling from side to side to see how close he was to being impaled.

At least it gave David a rough idea of how strong Cole was when he was being pushed to his limits.

Cole realised with a sickening feeling that he'd left himself wide open, something he should have foreseen but didn't. David, was at present, pinned against the wall, jaw held firm by the Ninja of blood and earth. Reality set in fast, David, if need's be, could propel himself forward because he had that option.

His feral yellow eyes locked onto Cole's angry visage. "My turn!" he hissed.

With a force beyond his expectations, Cole felt himself being launched backwards at a speed he wasn't overly happy about. He barely had enough time to see where he was heading but he had a few seconds to grapple for power again. The annoying thing was; if they were fighting like normal people on the floor, this fight would have been over minutes ago.

At an almost horizontal glide Cole glanced at where David was taking him. Damnit, when did the Frog Brothers choose to open these doors? He was heading right towards some perilous looking antlers himself now an there was no bare patch this time. The entire table was covered in deadly spikes that could double up as stakes.

Thinking fast, Cole grasped the door frame to the room that held all of Donald's taxidermy skulls and other such ornate spiked wooden carvings. It was this fast thinking that saved his body from its own impaling.

"Stop fighting me Cole, Join us...I don't want to kill you."

Cole knew him to be pleading. perhaps David already knew that he needed more members considering two of his brothers had perished today.

His grip was firm, unrelenting, never giving up as he pushed Cole against his will, knowing that if he didn't bend and yield he'd be staked by his own stubbornness. "Join us."

" _ **NEVER**_ ," Cole exclaimed, "I'll never join you."

David was smiling, a sick and twisted smirk. "It's too late." He said in response, a tactic to make Cole rethink his foolish decision, a last chance. "My blood is in your veins."

Struggling against the sheer strength of this vampire whose power seemed to far outweigh Cole's own. He grunted with the last amount of strength he had."SO IS MINE," he screamed.

Cole let go of the door frame and grasped David under the arms, expertly twisting his own body; he used the momentum of David's weight to propel both forwards. Technically it could be seen as Cole throwing David onto the antlers but the fact was far from it. Cole could have quite easily ended up on the same spikes too, had he wrongly estimated David's strength of flight.

Seeing someone being impaled wasn't the sort of thing he wanted to witness, neither was seeing people being ripped apart. Just another thing to haunt his dreams as he slept, he didn't think he'd sleep again after tonight. Standing back a little, Cole watched as David writhed in agony on the dual spikes that effectively held him in place. Heck, anyone would writhe like that had they been afforded the same treatment. But then, this dude had it coming since that initial baiting on the night of the concert.

The vampire was thrashing wildly, his movements slowing with each passing second. Cole leaned in over him, revelling in David's death throws that would duly release Cole and Kai of their respective vampire curse. "Where is he, where's Jay?"

The pain was non existent, he was dying. What ever Cole would do now would only speed up the process. "Y-you'll never get to him in t-time. He'll be dead tomorrow."

Cole's jaw clenched further, it hadn't let up from his near death experience only a few seconds prior. Evidently Cole was snarling, baring his own teeth in response to the show of brutal strength he exuded, for his own survival.

His answer was vague at best, and exactly what he was expecting . Now, he wanted David to die, _painfully_ and to pass on to where ever the hell vampires go.

He was expecting an explosion, smokescreen or marbling of David's body to occur, but all that happened was that David's face turned back to normal when his body stopped thrashing around. Cole was sorely disappointed, and at the same time, hugely relieved. So why the hell, didn't he feel any different? Why were his elongated fangs still on show, giving him that sharp dangerous smile? Why was he still craving blood?


	41. Chapter 41

Kai watched hopelessly as she ran from the room he had kept all three in. Safe from the Frog brothers, safe from harm. "Star, w-wait, _please,_ " he urged, trying to gain a purchase on her upper arm.

It was no use, she was adamant in getting the answers for herself, pulling away from him, she ran ahead, and got a footing on the stairs.

"H-hey, we don't know that it's safe down there yet."He turned back to look at the little boy, least someone would follow his orders. "STAY HERE," he barked, closing the door behind him.

He looked forlorn, watching as she ran down the stairs. In a way, Kai knew that the silence that had initially followed him up the stairs can't have been good because he knew there had been the one remaining vampire left. Kai was the one who ended Dwayne, he got fleeting recognition for it too, not that he needed an ego boost, it had been a nice touch though, considering he had taken one vampire down on his own yet it took Eddie, Alan and Lloyd; with the help of Nanook, to take out Paul, the blonde haired ' _twisted sister wannabe_ '.

"COLE!" She wailed desperately, midway down the staircase.

How she hadn't fallen or tumbled down in that overly flowing skirt she wore, Kai would never know, still, he followed her down, struggling to keep up with her as Lloyd and the Frog brothers barged past him in the process, nearly sending him tumbling in a fashion as he fought to regain his balance.

She ran through the sitting room, thinking the worst as she spotted a still life form laying motionless on a raised workbench. That wasn't what terrified her, what furthered her anxiety was that the workbench in question was covered in deadly horns and spikes. The motionless man was impaled by two of them, thus effectively holding him in place on the table, semi supine.

"Cole!" She repeated, voice strained with undertones of unspilt and restrained emotion.

She wasn't the only one yelling, Lloyd was doing the same as was Kai. The latter having calmed himself so much, he resembled a half decent good looking lad, rather than a blood thirsty killing machine.

"Cole, you okay?" Lloyd yelled, noting the appearance of an un-moving young man. Heart suddenly in his stomach, he tried to remember what Cole had been wearing last. Whether it had been this particular get up or something more casual.

There was no answer, making the anxieties increase tenfold in all aforementioned individuals as they tore down the stairs to see what had transpired. The place was sheer devastation, furniture upturned, tables and lamps broken.

Star didn't care about the mess, for the best part of a few weeks, Star had been living in cesspit known as their cave. She approached the room cautiously and the closer she got, the more she recognised who it was laying on the table. Relief immediately flooding over her, this could only mean that all the vampires were dead. It meant, that they could all lead normal lives again, being spared the curse of a vampires life of living life in the dark, shadows.

Anxiety picking up, she turned her head and called out for him as she moved into the dark sitting room, closer to the body she now knew to be David.

He was nowhere to be seen. "Cole?" She called again.

Star had walked closer, hoping **not** to find her boyfriend dead along with David. It was always a possibility, the head vampire was strong, deceptively so and many had misjudged that little aspect. Walking into the room with her head down, she looked upon David, her eyes scouring the surrounding floor for signs of another but he couldn't be found.

Suddenly startled, the feeling of someone grabbing at her took her breath away. She very nearly squeaked in terror as a hand gently grabbed her upper arm and pulled her close.

Cole had her so close to him that he could feel her trembling in his firm grasp. "Don't let them see me like this," he growled. Eyes yellow, elongated teeth still bared and his wounds healing slowly. Upon hearing Lloyd's voice and the dulcet tones of the Frog Brothers, he backed into the corner of the room, pulling Star with him.

All four ran into Donald's workshop, the one that was supposedly _off limits_ because that was where Donald did all his taxidermy and God knows what else that some may have found odd and quirky.

Alan Frog was the first to fist pump, joined by Eddie, both embracing and playing up their boyish antics and shows of machismo.

* * *

"Get away Lloyd." Cole warned in a dangerous tone. There he stood in the shadows, partially covered by Star who stood on his right flank.

"Cole, what's wrong." He asked gently.

" ** _I SAID GET AWAY_** ," he repeated, none too gently with a certain insistence to be heard and for that moment, to be obeyed.

Lloyd could only see Star's face but there was no pleasant look there, it was all hopelessness and sorrow.

She knew it too, could feel it, as could Kai, who she saw backing away with a rapid pattern of breathing setting in. A panic attack no doubt.

So typical that it was Eddie to question the foul tone that had taken hold of the previously unspoken and brooding Cole. "So whats the big deal, you took out the head vampire?" Looking straight at Star who he saw was shielding Cole from being seen. "It's all over, they're dead, we won?"

The sounds of a car pulling up outside could be heard and it couldn't come at a worse time either. Lloyd recognised his mother's voice, gaining in volume as she neared the almost internally wrecked home.

"Nothing has changed," Cole hissed, trying his damnedest to control his increasing rage. "I feel no different."

Star nodded too. "He's right, I don't feel any different either." Her eyes looked ready to burst, the tears so close to overflowing.

To Kai, it looked like fear, more specifically, fear of the unknown, because they had all been dead set on the fact that David was the head vampire. Though it was more a case of elimination to get to that point.

Kai shuffled from his position, backing away from Eddie. "I feel the same too, nothing's changed." Warily, he began to move away again, edging out of the crafting room so much, that he could still see Star, who was shielding Cole's largely hidden form.

To Kai, it was unfathomable. How could they have missed this? Had they become so complacent that these four vampires killed today could've been the only ones responsible for all those missing people in Santa Carla? Sure, he thought, initially, there had been the four vampires that Cole knew of and between them, they had shown him just how capable they were in taking down an entire beach party, killing every last person. But there were hundreds upon hundreds that were missing.

Kai's mind was blank at who could possibly be the head vampire, so, rather than just wait for this vampire to show up and decimate them all, Kai decided a plan C was needed. He walked across and stood nearest the kitchen doors, seeing at his side, near the wooden mirror, Eddie's backpack on display. Smiling to himself, it contained a spare metal stake in the exterior pocket. A deft swipe was all it took, no-one even saw him take it.

Eddie looked at his brother, both casting unsure glances at each other. "So that means there's one more!" Eddie surmised. Alan agreed with him instantly.

"Boys, Lloyd?" Misako called from outside as she neared the front door, her voice was louder than usual and held a worried tone to it. The sound of her keys could be heard clearly as they pushed into the lock of the front door. "Boys?"

"I'll handle mom." Lloyd assured, looking directly at Cole, and Star. "You two stay here."

He turned quickly, grabbing Eddie and Alan by their backpacks. "Come on, don't let mom see any of the bodies." Walking together, all three waited patiently by the front door, Eddie, swiftly moved the sofa, so she could get through.

Lloyd got to the door just in time to have his mother walk through it, Max was by her side.

"What happened?" She asked, looking upon the house and the state it was in, followed by the scratches on her son's face.

"What the hell is going on here?" Max's voice boomed above those of the Frog brother's mad ramblings.

The tone instantly grated on Cole and Kai. Why the frick did it sound like he was trying to be a father figure just by casting that deep tone into a house he had only ventured into the once before? Just who did he think he was, parading it around like that?

Kai watched Lloyd as he gently escorted his mother from the scene of devastation that the living room now held. He heard him mentioning something about having a deep and meaningful discussion about some things that alluded to food fights and this one getting out of hand somewhat. He had to hand it to Lloyd though, he was doing an epic and thorough job of diverting Misako's attention elsewhere.

Once she had walked off with the Frog brother's in tow. Kai's gaze drifted back toward the relative stranger in his midst. He eyed Max with a higher level of suspicion than before. The middle aged man was making his way into Donald's open workshop. Something had obviously piqued his attention enough to warrant him free passage around this house that he had no rights in walking around.

His eyes widened further as he watched Max approach David's body. Even more so when he exhibited signs of affection toward the fallen young man. Max appeared genuinely saddened at what he saw. Gently, he tilted David's face to his, looking upon it briefly, _sorrowfully_.

Cole and Star remained mute as Max stood perilously close to both.

He looked sad, mournful. Turning slowly to the sounds of her increasing voice, signifying her reappearance into the living room. "I'm sorry Misako, this is all my fault." He was walking toward her as he spoke.

"David and my boys misbehaved," he said, removing his glasses. "But I told you, boys really do need a mother."

"Max, what are you talking about?" Misako's voice as gentle as it was, still wanted answers.

How could he ignore that soft voice, he smiled at her apologetically.

"HAA, I knew it," Lloyd stood firm next to his mother stepping aside and in front of her. " **You** , you're the head vampire." He stated firmly.

"Lloyd?" She said, shaking her head in a disapproving way. "Please don't start this thing again."

Undeterred by the look of disappointment on his mother's face. "What! What's so hard to believe mom? We've dealt with fricking skeletons, serpentine? Is it so hard to believe that vampires exist too?"

"Don't take that tone with me Lloyd," she chastised, lips drawn into a thin line.

He rolled his eyes in response, this was one of the bigger reasons he didn't want his mother here. "I'm not a child mom, you're embarrassing me." He groaned under his breath.

"So, you were the secret that David was protecting?" Star said, confirming her previous suspicions. She was walking out of the shadows looking solely at Max, disregarding the older woman in her midst.

Max smiled at her. "No," he said, shaking his head slowly. "Only one half of the secret."

"Who's this?" Misako asked, looking directly at Star, the young woman who had appeared from Donald's crafting room.

Max had turned to face Lloyd and the Frog brothers. "Don't ever invite a vampire into your house you silly boys, it renders you powerless." Using his glasses to get his point across was incredibly annoying to Kai but he remained unseen against the darkest parts of the wall, biding his time.

"Did you know that?" Lloyd queried, looking directly at Eddie, who simultaneously looked to his brother for clarification.

Both nodded. "Of course, everybody knows that." Eddie replied.

"Oh, don't start this vampire thing again," she said, rolling her eyes. "Has everyone gone crazy here, what's the matter with all of you? Max, I thought we made an agreement of this during our dinner."

Still smiling at her. Max moved forward of the crafting table. "You see, ever since your boys arrived here, I simply knew that I had to have them."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Misako stood in front of Lloyd. Eyes firmly on Max and his threatening body language. "Has everyone gone mad here? Wh-where are they?"

Giving a half laugh, he faced her, smile dropping. "Well, I knew that if I could get Jay out of the way for long enough, I could break them down from the inside. It worked, allowing me the perfect opportunity to have your boys fall into my trap. And I figured that once they fell, the rest would follow."

"There'd be no way you could say no." He face devoid of feeling and emotion.

"It was all going to be so perfect, Misako. Hmm, one big happy family. Your boys," he said pointing at Lloyd. "And my boys." His arm waving behind him at David's seemingly lifeless form.

The terror of the moment had the quartet of mother and three young boys moving back slowly, as Max continued on with his idea of a beautiful future living with, and controlling his new vampire family.

"Great, the blood sucking Brady Bunch." Eddie hissed, stake raised and ready to strike.

"But I still want you Misako," he growled, turning to regard her with a face like no other. "Nothing has changed about that."

This was the face of a killer, a master manipulator. Someone who had played them so well from the start, or more precisely; the moment Jay had wandered into that video store. In fact, the very day he had started there, Jay had talked in detail, spilling nothing but humorous adoration for his extended family. The effect of speaking so upfront and candidly had got him the wrong attention, not just from Nicole, but Max too.

"I didn't invite you this time, _MAX_." Cole sneered, standing out of the shadows with his fists clenched, down by his side.

"Cole," Misako exclaimed sadly.

Her blood ran cold at the sight of him and how different he looked from the usually stoic yet fun loving ninja of earth. Cole looked like death, all pale faced and sweating. The injuries that marred his face was one thing, and she'd never get used to seeing any of her boys injured like this, ninja training or not. But his face, as bloodied as it was, when she looked into his yellow eyes, it took her breath away. His nose was screwed up so tight, it looked snout; Cole resembled a walking, human vampire bat.

She was pleading with Cole to stop, powerless to do anything, but watch helplessly, as he ran at Max.

To Cole, it was similar to how he fought David, with this blood thirsty determination to win and be the stronger alpha. There was the same surge of fire, the adrenaline coursing through him as he ran, and that ever fierce dedication to protect his family.

Truth be told, Cole wasn't expecting to be overpowered by a middle aged man; vampire of not. And so, it came as a complete shock to the system when he found himself, being thrown with ease, up and over Max's shoulder, landing hard on the upper landing above.

"NO" Misako exclaimed, shouting in fear for her sons, and for the needless violence that was surrounding her. "Cole?"

No answer, she could only hope he was okay, along with the girl that Max had shown no mercy to. Misako had watched, uttering words under her breath to stop the girl but again, too late as Star had intervened of her own volition, she'd been cast to the side like a wilted flower, just as quickly and effortlessly as the Frog brothers had done.

Max was holding his arm out to Misako. "I don't want to hurt your boys, I just want you to join me, _us_."

 _Us_? Kai thought, confused. _There was no us, it was just Max, surely?_

Kai, again was biding his time as he waited under the stairs. Everything was going to plan, the Frog brothers, as Kai and Cole had previously anticipated, had run full pelt at Max.

And for both half vampire, it was impressive to watch as this middle aged blood sucker took on the strength of two adolescent males. They were easy targets, falling into his arms, Max simply cast them to the side like mere rag dolls both meeting a painful solid object that stopped them in their tracks with a subsequent grunt of pain as they fell unconscious.

 _Three down,_ Kai noted, looking down at his feet as Alan and Edgar lay haphazardly nearby. Both were alive but knocked out cold and with a starling clarity, he realised that, if Max had wanted to, he could have killed them. He was perfectly capable, had the basic tools of death on his person, strength unmatched and razor sharp teeth. But he didn't break their necks like twigs or attempt to feast on them, because he still had a ploy, including her, Misako.

Next was Lloyd, he came running at Max, despite his newfound terror of vampires and the thoughts of being something to feast on. God forbid he'd let his own mother fall for this douche bag. There was no way in hell that Lloyd would allow it to happen. To put the whole family at risk, after all, they had suffered so much.

Max quickly had Lloyd in a powerful strangle hold. The fear quickly gripped the green ninja, making it impossible for him to tap into his power, or any of the combined elements.

"Join me, Misako." Max urged, squeezing Lloyd's neck tighter until the young green ninja began to loosen in his firm grasp. His elongated canines were aggressively on show, giving a rough idea of what he expected from Misako.

She was cringing as she took his hand, walking into his warm, domineering embrace. Misako knew this was going to be painful, any bite was. Plus, she'd had a fair few in her life too; horse, walliper, snake, ant...amongst others. Though a vampire bite was surely going to top that list because one supposed bite from a head vampire was meant to turn another, or so she had seen in the movies.

"Mom no, don't do it...don't do it!" Lloyd pleaded, struggling with Max's constrictive grasp on his neck, watching helplessly as his mother began to bend to Max's will.

Cole was cringing from his new position on the upper landing, having been thrown upwards with some speed. He'd managed to take out the balustrade landing too, and he knew there's be bruising across his ribs tomorrow morning. For the moment, he couldn't move, every limb ached, every muscle group was strained and built up with levels of lactic acid that shouldn't have been normal for a mortal man.

So here it was, somehow Kai was the last one standing.

It was now or never.

Now that Max had walked forward a fair amount, the perfect opportunity had arisen.

Kai took it, walking out from under the stairs, unseen by any, because other than Lloyd, Misako and Max, everyone else was out of commission.

Now, behind Max, Kai withdrew and positioned the stake, he took no time to think of it before driving it home. "GYAHH." he grunted, forcefully shoving the metal stake as deep as it could go.

He delivered the perfect kill shot, the stake having passed through Max's back, just to the left side of his spine.

The vampire gasped, his death throws couldn't come soon enough for Kai. He was willing the blood sucker to keel over and explode dramatically, but evidently, Max was making a commotion, a song and dance about it. Giving Kai no other choice but to initiate the final nail in Max's vampire coffin.

As Kai was expecting; Max was struggling with the stake, but he was still standing. The middle aged man stumbled forwards, quickly and reactively, he released his stranglehold on Lloyd's neck whilst looking for something to grasp onto, before his eventual fall to terra firma.

"We'd rather die than join your sick family." Kai sneered from behind the dying vampire. His foot raised high in a heartbeat, Kai sent the stake and the vampire to the greatest dirt nap of his life by perfecting a ninety degree roundhouse kick that sent Max flying forwards,at a startling speed.

"Goodnight bloodsucker." Lloyd hissed, standing back, he pulled the Frog brothers clear of Max's potential trajectory, the stonewalled fireplace.

Kai had grabbed Star and watched as Cole slowly but steadily made his way down the stairs, grunting every other step of the way.

They didn't have to wait long for the inevitable, Max exploded in a ball of fire, not helped by the igniting spark that was Kai and the red hot stake, he'd super heated before plunging it into Max's thoracic cavity.

"And that is what I call team work," Kai said, grinning at Cole, his smirk instantly dropping again.

He sure hoped that these elongated fangs weren't a prolonged side effect. Because they sure as hell hadn't left his nor Cole's mouth since their transformation or since the sight of blood. And his teeth were still there. "Well, damn..." Kai said, rubbing the back of his head. "Uhm, so at least we took out this lead vampire." He said, pointing to the charred remains of Max.

Edgar stood by Max's burning corpse. "Build a man a fire, and he's warm for a day. But, light a man on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life!"

Cole didn't like that analogy it was crass.

"So err, how much you reckon we should charge these guys?" Eddie said, whispering to his brother, yet loud enough for everyone to hear.

Alan simply smirked in response.

* * *

 **Review, review, review...lol**

 **Next chapter we check in with Jay again. And, all will be explained. Pllus, there's maybe three or four chapters remaining on this story before it comes to an end.**


	42. The clean up

"Oooh, good timing," Kai chimed in, wiping his brow free of sweat. "They made it back in one piece!" The grin on his face could be seen in the moonlight, a face of relief at seeing his sister alive and well.

"You had doubts?" Cole asked, "You only sent them on a recon mission."

"Yeah, but to the place where this party is supposed to be taking place." He stood, arching his back to relieve the ache residing there after hauling sandstone blocks to repair the chimney breast. "To see what we'll be up against!" He replied, with a nonchalant shrug.

The car had stopped and Zane switched off the engine, getting out of the car with a face like thunder. Looking to his side, Nya's expression wasn't much better either. Between them, they made their way to the front porch, happy to see that the windows weren't smashed and that the house was still standing.

"Err, hey guys, good night?" Kai asked nervously, rubbing the back of his head. He was covered in filth, with the worst being soot and blood all over his face. He looked to his side, Cole looked just as bad.

"It was as we expected it to be. The house was alive at night time and they were busying themselves with the decor of the place."

"Anything else?" Kai said, unsure if he wanted the answer unless it pertained to positive details of their missing brother. "Were there any signs of uh, Jay?" He squeaked in a hopeful tone.

Zane shook his head slowly. "It was difficult to surmise because we could not get close enough without causing too much of a scene or being _noticed_ ," he said looking back at Nya, who looked sheepish all of a sudden. "All we know is that there are at least ten females living there with an elderly female."

"Sorry Zane, I thought the cold calling would work..." she said, eyeing her brother up the closer she got.

Nya was gobsmacked, her mouth agape at the state they were both in as she drew nearer. Luckily, neither her or Zane had set foot inside the house at that point and only small scale devastation could be seen from the outside, where Cole and Kai were standing. "What happened here, it looked pretty epic, like _monastery_ epic?"

Kai was the first to talk. "Well, you remember us saying that we needed you and Zane outta the house because of unwanted visitors?"

She nodded as Kai continued to tell his long winded version of events. "Yes, because of collateral damage?"

"And, uh before you left, you helped with the security and overturning of furniture, buying of water guns and stuff? Well, this is the culmination of all that."

"This shit heap of a mess was caused by vampires," Cole said quickly, cutting off Kai's long winded monologue. "There were three of them. And, believe me, they fared worse," he mumbled. He didn't have the heart to tell her that both he and Kai were still creatures of the night.

Zane had taken a quick glance around the front porch, the door was ajar and it was lit inside, but darker than usual. "Is everyone okay, all accounted for?"

"Haa, the only casualties were the intended targets. Glad to say that they're all dead now though, no coming back from that." Kai smirked, high fiving Cole in the process.

"Aint no coming back for Max either." Cole guffawed and low fived Kai.

" **WHAT**? Max was in on this too?" Nya gaped, hand over her mouth at her own uncontrolled outburst.

Zane had paused in his tracks.

"Haa, Max was all bark and no bite." Kai smiled, wiping some of the dried blood from his upper lip. "All sizzle and no steak."

"He was all booster and no payload." Cole added. "All foam, no beer."

Kai giggled, lifting another sandstone as Cole continued to mix the mortar. "Max was all hammer, no nail."

"Okay you two enough!" Nya huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "What's so funny?"

"All icing, no cake., no hang on I can do better than that...All lime and salt, no tequila." Cole finished apologetically, looking at Nya, "Sorry, it was a real stressful night. So jokes and stuff was the only way we could think of letting it out, considering there's no booze in the place."

"Sorry Nya," Kai mumbled, as he placed the rock in the prepared and mortared hole. "Bad night, like Cole said."

"It's okay guys...this hasn't been easy on any of us, least of all Jay."

"AHEM, how is Misako after hearing all this, witnessing Max as a vampire and everyone else?" Zane asked, his back turned away from his brothers as they continued to work into the early hours.

Cole had slapped some mortar on the block that Kai had placed, before turning to his brother who seemed tense. "Zane lighten up dude, everyone's fine... _in a sense_." He said curtly. "Ya know, it's to be expected really that people are a little shaken up after the shit that went down here a few hours ago."

Kai had stopped midway to picking up another sandstone block. "Hey Nya, M-Misako's being comforted by Lloyd as we speak, so, if you wanted to go and give him a reprieve, I bet your presence would be more than welcome."

"Why me?"

"Cos I'm sure she could do with female company to talk to, rather than her own son who keeps telling her that **_'he told her so_**.'" Cole replied from nearest the chimney stack.

"Yeah, okay. I guess that's not very helpful is it?" She smiled a bit. So typical of a teenager as young as Lloyd. "Once I've done that, I guess I'll help with the clean up process, I'm guessing you all made a mess of this place?"

"It would be welcome, if you can help." Cole stated. "And, I really hate to be sexist here, but the kitchen is in dire need of a clean."

"Not sexist, I can take it Cole. What's so wrong with the kitchen, you guys didn't fight them in there too did ya?"

"No," He shook his blood matted hair. "The Frog brothers are in there now with Donald. All sorting out the waste disposal because a vampire carcass somehow got into the sewerage system."

"What, How?"

"Seriously Nya, I don't know either." Kai shrugged. "I just know it made a fricking mess."

"Whatever they did in the bathroom," Cole said, pushing the large boulder into place. "It blocked the water outlet pipes and overloaded the waste disposal and cesspit. The pipes are well and truly screwed in there."

"How long will you be out here for? The sun's going to be coming up in a few hours." She inquired looking at her watch.

Cole looked at the gaping hole, he could see straight into the house. Even see the staircase from his position next to the exterior chimney stack. "If we get an extra pair of hands on this then maybe we'll get done in a couple of hours."

* * *

The clean up process downstairs was a literal nightmare. For starters, the kitchen was totalled. Some appliances were functioning whereas others needed a damned good clean down because the sheer amount of semi transparent vampire gloop got everywhere. The tiles and splash backs has to be soaked and cleansed. The same couldn't b said of the ceiling. Nya and Lloyd had tried to clean it but it was useless.

"You'll need to get it re-plastered, sorry Donald." Lloyd cringed as dawning realising crested on the old mans' face.

"The only thing I couldn't stand about Santa Carla," He said, pausing to grab a root beer from the inside of the clean fridge. "All the god damned vampires."

"Yeah," Lloyd nodded in agreement, not wanting to patronise him with a pat to the back and a pointless lame apology of 'It'll be alright, your house is totalled but we're all okay.'

" _A little heads up would've been nice_ ," Lloyd muttered under his breath as he heaved the oven back into place now that the tiled floor was spotlessly clean.

"Damage control inventory. What's gotta go, what can't be saved?" Nya asked, a small jotter to hand as she approached Lloyd.

"The toaster, and grill are screwed."He motioned to the sturdy box of broken things propping the kitchen door open. A genuine smile on his face. "The waffle iron's fine though, Zane checked the electrics."

"Anything else?"

"Coffee machine is totalled...And re-plastering is a must as is a new toilet upstairs and wash basins." He turned his sweaty head to the side, brushing his blonde locks to the side with his forearm to avoid getting cleaning chemicals in them. "Uhm, the cupboard doors are damp but that can be sorted quick if we keep the windows open all night. It might even help with the stench of death."

* * *

"What about the sitting room?" She asked,, stifling a yawn whilst noting how much stuff they'd need to replace. They couldn't very well expect Santa Carla to cough up the funds despite the fact they had partially rid the small seaside town of a handful of night crawlers.

Lloyd stood there, no words would come. The destruction was there for both to see. It was on Misako's face as the elder woman swept the floor muttering to herself.

The living room certainly heralded its fair share of casualties. The stereo was beyond repair; it was easy to see how it had met its end. There was a two foot arrow sticking out of it, furthermore; the disgusting residue of a charred vampire had sped up the demise of this particular entertainment system.

 _The only entertainment system_.

Then there was the fireplace, it was thoroughly destroyed, warranting the muscles of Cole, Kai and Zane to work together from inside and outside the house. Their joint voices could be heard clearly, thanks to the ever decreasing hole.

"So how ya enjoying your new drink huh?" Kai smirked, drinking his with a straw and ice cubes in with an orange tinge to it. Both brothers still outside with the addition of Zane who was helping to fix the almighty hole in the chimney from the inside.

He wasn't going to entertain the smug smile on Kai's face as he happily drank the fluid. Instead, he poked his head though the head shaped hole and peered at Zane. "It's gross, what is it again Zane?" Cole asked.

"Well, good you should ask. There had been some clinical investigations that confirmed the results of safely replacing blood lost during surgery with saline. Thus; it was a good substitute, negating the need to drink human blood. And what is even better, it should provide enough nourishment and hydration properties to keep you both adequately refreshed until the party tonight."

"Maybe you can make Kai one of those beer hats, attach two of these IV bags to them." Cole drank his hidden IV bag with disgust on his features, trying to draw away from the fact he was drinking salt water.

"I thought the idea was to be conspicuous? Surely you do not want to be seen drinking this fluid out in public?" He stood still, staring at Cole in confusion, wondering if the master of earth was being serious or not. The appearance of a smirk and the lightest shake of Cole's head told him that the statement was not to be taken seriously.

"It was a joke, _Zane_..." Cole deadpanned.

"Regardless of your humour, Cole, I believe this saline should last long enough for you to attend this party tonight, and take down the Ms Johnson we are hearing so much about."

Placing some supporting plinths against the drying stonework, his work was finally finished. Cole collapsed on the floor, thoroughly spent. "Speaking of the party, what time is this thing tonight?" He squinted his eyes as the sun breached the horizon. Taking a drink of the saline solution and nearly gagging on it.

"Nine pm...we don't have to bring anything cept for ourselves." Kai wiped his brow, his hands were filthy.

Cole laughed softly as he looked at his arms, then across at Kai. "In that case, I reckon we need a hose down and a damn good sleep. Ya coming with?" He stood offering his hand as Lloyd brought another box of broken goods outside with Zane hot on his heels, lugging a few suspicious looking looking body parts that he was dumping in one of Donald's disused oil barrels ready for cremating.

Kai took the offered hand, and allowed Cole to pull him to standing. "Sure, we need to be in top form tonight. Hey, isn't Star gonna be miffed about you going?"

Cole shook his sweaty head. "Nah, I'll speak to her about it when she wakes up. Ya know she's been busy all morning, trying ta get hold of child services and the police about Laddie?"

"Aww sweet, so the little guy _does_ have a family?"

"Yeah, he does. Just a shit load of paperwork to go through as to his whereabouts up until today."

"What do you mean?" Kai asked, opening the front door.

"We don't exactly want the blame for his kidnapping do we? Considering I've known his whereabouts for a week now and the ones who initially took him, there's no signs of anymore."

"Except for David?" Kai interjected. "He's physical proof?"

"True, still not sure what to do with him." Cole mused. A frown on his face as to why the vampire didn't explode on contact with the spikes that ended him. Shutting the door behind him, he looked at the living room. The place looked tidier already, although it was a shame that so much of what made this place homely and somewhat cluttered had to be thrown out because it was damaged or covered in vampire entrails.

* * *

 **Thanks for all the reviews guys, means a lot.**

 **RandomDragon, MoC, My lady Mayor...Willow and Ebony**


	43. Chapter 43

What Nicole had done on Monday morning had quite possibly saved his life. It was only the first step though. She wasn't a head vampire and it certainly wouldn't help him fight the Widow Johnson off, but Nicole's blood carried the stronger properties of a full vampire and if she could use her own strength to treat her own wounds, then _,_ _he_ could benefit from it too.

Albeit, the consumption of it, coming with nasty side effects of its own.

She looked at him, concern in her eyes. Right now, he appeared to be sleeping with a pained grimace on his partially obscured face as he fought the cursed blood within him. The worrying fact, Jay had been sleeping longer, just recently. He hadn't woken the Sunday before because he'd been drugged and, he wasn't taking food.

Chamile had mentioned earlier that Ms Johnson had kept him with her last night as company and all that could be heard was pained and horrified screams. None of the girls knew what had transpired, only that when she came out of her bedroom this morning before sunrise, she had a fair amount of blood on her face. Typically none of it was hers.

Of course, some of the girls were jealous of her antics, feeling like they'd missed out on some sordid activity, when in fact, all that had happened was that she had a good feed on him and that in itself had left him boneless, lacking the strength to fight anymore. But then, it wasn't like they were feasting on him every night, they had only done it twice, taking small amounts each time, enough to leave a fine patchwork of bruises up and down his arms and legs.

* * *

Jay had been stuck in this proverbial _hell hole_ , as he'd called it, stuck here for almost seven days. The first two he was clueless about because he was sleeping. But the shit hit the proverbial fan on the third night when Max offered to take him back. He was sleeping initially, and when he woke he felt different, sluggish, not knowing the signs of being drugged. Typically, he passed it off as illness, until he saw it for himself, witnessed them injecting him. The feeling was unlike any other, he could barely move, let alone string a coherent sentence together. Never mind having the ability to fight, that was completely out of the question.

Being roused from his lengthy slumber by the feeling that someone was watching him, was enough to give him palpitations. No, he'd never outwardly admit that they scared him a little. He didn't want to seem like the weak one of his brothers that was scared by these supernatural creatures. Ones that roamed the night skies in search of prey.

Jay kept those fears inside, choosing instead to mask them with humour and wit. It was all he could do to hide the gaping hole that was his missing family and the love of his life...Nya. Because, in the back of his mind, there was this niggling possibility that...he would never see them again. More than likely, he would die here.

He kept the eiderdown up and over his sleep messed hair so that only his lower face was visible. His heavily lidded eyes were hidden within the darkness of the moth eaten quilt. He opened his eyes a peep and chanced a glimpse at the door and the person who had entered the room. She was in his room, had been for a few minutes now, just standing there, staring.

There was a gradual accustomisation, that while he was here, this little box room with a single transom window was his domain. It was the only place he felt safe, even if he was locked in and had no way of opening the nailed down sash. And, despite the theme of the room, the dowdy curtains and furniture that wouldn't have looked out of place in a sixties horror flick, the room and everything in it, felt homely. Yes, it was different to Donald's place, this place had the feminine touch, some small bits that added that whole homely vibe to the place. Ornate picture frames, floral wallpaper and shapely glass sconces.

He swallowed the nervousness, breathing a discreet sigh of relief as she hadn't seen his eyes or face yet.

"Jay?" She whispered. Coming past his bed to the open blinds that beamed harsh sun rays onto the floor and the faded bed throw. She approached the blinds, keeping closest to the wall to avoid the rays from burning her skin. Grasping hold of the pull string closest to her, she pulled it down gently until the shutters blocked out the mid afternoon brightness.

"Oh," he said in disappointment. His expression dark, "It's just you."

"Good afternoon to you too." She mumbled quietly, closing the blinds. "Did you sleep well?"

"Is this like a torture thing? I mean, you know I didn't sleep at all." He winced as he edged up the bed to take the insipid drink from her betraying hands. "What time is it anyway?"

"Three pm. You need to drink some of this," she urged, holding the glass steady.

"Do you feel any different yet?" Nicole asked, pulling out a small glass bottle. She uncorked it and poured a thinned down red substance into the tumbler, which she held firm in his shaking hands.

"I feel like shit, does that count?" He replied sarcastically, hissing under his breath as he attempted to sit up in bed. "Yeah I feel just peachy, raring to go."

Taking a good swallow of the drink, Jay watched her as she removed her cardigan, placing it gently over the substantial leaded glass lamp shape before switching it on. Her temporary fix of light dimming worked exceptionally well, it was dark enough in here to not rouse suspicion from the hallway but just bright enough for them to see each other.

"Wait a second," she muttered, placing her finger over his blood stained lips. She stood quickly, listened at the door then laid his spare clothes at the bottom of the frame to block the sound and further light from escaping, "-I need to talk to you."

When he tried to speak quietly, his voice felt hoarse and gravelly. Attempting to clear his throat he winced and shuffled slightly, "H-how long have y-you been in here?"

She smiled at him, tipping the drink into his mouth. "I've been in here for about five minutes."

"Do you normally watch p-people sleep?" He asked, his scarred eyebrow raised.

"No," she whispered as she came to sit on the small stool next to his bed, "not usually a hobby of mine."

"Wh-why?" His throat was dry and cracked from his previous screaming episodes. "Why are you doing this, Nicole, keeping me here?"

She took it personally, and it felt like he was solely blaming her for his predicament. She was partially to blame, she'd been in on it from day two. Nicole was the one that coaxed him into this pit of hell that he had tried to escape from a few nights ago.

She had been the one that swayed his foolish decision to accept that lift. Had she though about it, Jay would have made it home had he walked. Santa Carla only got a bad rep for the missing people and those that had gone missing, were ones that had ticked off David and his brothers or Max or Ms Johnson.

This guy, actually had a life before all of this, a girlfriend who was very worried about him. A group of brothers who were in incredible danger too, they all shared a closeness, a bond. Each time she'd gone to work, she had spotted more of Jay's posters. She'd been ordered to take them down, even been told to phone the sheriff's office and state that Jay had been found. It was all a lie, an elaborate hoax so the authorities wouldn't begin any type of investigation, not that they did much anyway.

So, never had she looked as nervous as she did now...this was going against the grand plan. The plan being the party which was due to happen that very night.

Surreptitiously, she checked that his door was still locked. She wasn't the only one with a key to this room.

"I'm doing this for you, it's too late for me," she said, tipping the glass into his mouth, "You know what I am, I can't go out in the day. I'm what you'd refer to as a full vampire." She was lying, she could go out in the day, she just chose not to dress up fully clothed because of how ridiculous she looked.

Jay tasted the drink a little more, it was quite pleasant on the tongue. "So you're not gonna try to suck me dry then?" He laughed, nervously, "-because you did earlier, all of you."

"That was yesterday and, that was because she was watching. I couldn't very well not drink when she'd ordered all of us to feast."

"Takes some restraint then?" He mumbled, quietly, "I mean, to not rip my tongue and throat out?" He smirked, testing her reaction. Someone had kissed him, that much he was sure of. He could still feel the pain of it because his tongue and lips felt sore.

She blushed, turning away.

He quickly put two and two together. "It was you wasn't it? You kissed me?"

Her silence gave him all the answers he needed. The kiss would have been pleasant had she not bitten him as well. In fact, he felt slightly guilty for groaning into it. Though he brushed it off as it potentially being the last kiss he would receive. Of course, Nya's sweet kiss would have been preferable though, but he wasn't going to act ungrateful. A kiss was a kiss, and, it could well be his last at this rate.

Clearing her throat gently and recomposing herself, she looked at him again. "You weren't supposed to remember what happened." She mumbled, sadly. The fact that he had remembered every detail, made this exponentially worse.

He didn't care about that, because if he needed to, he'd be using it against every last one of them. "You restrained yourself, how?" He questioned, more in curiosity than anything.

"It is taught," Nicole whispered, awkwardly. "Well, we are taught how to control ourselves so we can blend in better."

"I think you restrained yourself pretty well," he shrugged, wincing when he caught his sore tongue on his teeth.

Nicole was looking away, aware that he was watching her and looking at her expression. "Anyway, enough about me, we need to make plans. I don't have much time."

"What sort of plans? Like escape or something?" His eyes lighting up at the chance of getting away.

"Not quite, it's difficult to explain."

A crushing weight began to settle on his chest. "Well, c-can you get me outta here or not?" He asked with the same rasping voice. He wasn't looking at her anymore, instead, his eyes were glued to the door, watching and waiting for the monster to come up and take him again like she did the night before.

"No, I can't."

Her answer was so quick that it knocked him sideways. Crushed by her words, suddenly, he felt useless. He had the strongest gut feeling that he was more than likely going to die here, if he didn't get away soon, that was. There was only so much his body could take, no matter how much they drugged him, his blood couldn't replenish as fast as they were taking it.

"Then what did you want to talk about?" His voice glum and depressed, now more accepting of his fate. "Funeral plans, my favourite service songs, that sorta stuff?" He chuckled, but his bottom lip quivered and his top lip tightened in response. "Burial or cremation, what to write on my epitaph, eulogy?" His head turned toward the wall.

Jay's left hand wiped the salty tear away. "What do you want, Nicole?"

He sounded broken, yet his words were blunt, cruel and past caring.

"Jay, please..." She stroked his face. Choosing to ignore the fact that she could tell he was crying. "Chamile is throwing a party tonight," she said quietly. "Themed, so everyone is dressing up."

"And what?" Jay asked, scratching his arms, "I'll be the buffet for that too huh? Hey come and get me, I'm an all you can eat feast." Licking his teeth, he rubbed his jaw.

"Honestly, I doubt I've got enough to sustain me let alone you lot. You're all ravenous." He said. struggling to keep his eyes open. It was clearly apparent that Jay was nodding back off to sleep, even in his seated position on the bed. "Mmm sorry, just really tired," he said, rubbing his face, he turned towards her slowly. "Why are you here again?"

When he had finally turned to face her, his eyes were so heavily dilated that she could barely see the blue anymore.

" _ **Why are you here?**_ " He repeated, hissing the words out through gritted teeth.

"The party I just mentioned, it's tonight." She said worriedly. "Your brothers are coming to it, they accepted the invite because Skylor somehow managed to interest the brown haired one."

"Sorry, what?" Jay said confused, rubbing his face again. "Exactly what am I supposed to do? I can barely keep my eyes open." He sighed, miserably.

"The brown haired one called to accept the invite yesterday afternoon. I took the call."

His eyes narrowed slightly, "You mean Kai, don't you?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "If that's his name, then yes...I do."

"Shit," he mumbled out loud, the rest was said under his breath, "I need to get back and tell them...I need to get back there, to Donald's."

"You're in no fit state to walk..." She warned. Stubbornly, he wasn't taking any notice.

He had swung his legs over the edge of the bed but when he attempted to stand he could barely weight bear and Nicole had to help him back again.

"You're not anywhere, you can hardly walk." She scolded, lifting him off of the floor where he'd fallen in a heap.

Nicole couldn't be caught in here, talking and conspiring with him. And now she'd need to come up with a good excuse as to what the loud falling heavy object was. She wouldn't be able to say it was her helping Jay off of the floor after he tumbled.

He bit his lip, hissing as he was placed back on the bed. "I feel like shit, I've got...no strength."

"You won't eat," She repeated. "You just sleep all the time."

"Hmm, and whose fault is that?"

A standoff, a stalemate. Jay had a point and even Nicole knew that.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence that probably spanned ten seconds. Jay cleared his throat again, took another drink. "Tell me what this stupid plan is then, I know you want to." He looked aggrieved, pissed off and ready to rip someones head off.

"The plan is," she said leaning closer. "She plans on siring both Kai and Cole, _tonight_!"

A snide smile curled the corners of his dry bloodstained lips. "How do you sire someone, it sounds like what a male does to a..." His mind searched for the right word, but it escaped him, "-you sire a horse with a stallion, right? That's gross."

She bit her lip. This wasn't him at all, this was classic symptoms of what they'd subjected him too, and as Chamile stated, he was deteriorating as fast as Ash had. Again she urged him to drink as much as he could. "I hope you can forgive me for this, because doing this to you, will save your brothers and you."

He sniffed."Doing what?"

"I'm giving you the same drink that you brother took."

"Uh, Cole took a drink?" He repeated confused, not fully understanding what she was getting at.

"He was tricked by David." Nicole rubbed her face. "He drank blood, unknowingly."

"Urgh, that's gross, and kinda insane. Still, that answers my other question as to why he left me alone."

Shaking her head, Nicole leaned in over him. "Well, you just drank the same thing."

Jay's face exuded a look of shock and utter disgust. "WHAT? Wh-why would you?" Attempting to dry his tongue with his filthy palms he soon gave up his useless endeavour. He'd already consumed three glasses of the stuff. Placing the glass down with shaking hands, he stared at her and her audacity, then he looked at the glass of almost consumed fluid. "It doesn't look like blood though, whose is it?"

"The matriarch's, Ms Johnson's!"

"Gross. I take it, this was tapped before she lost all those human traits and became an evil sadistic bitch?"

"It's old," Nicole nodded.

He shivered, looking at the semi transparent liquid. Blood was normally opaque, whereas this stuff was transparent and raspberry pink, indicating some form of thinning agent was in it; possibly to stop it from clotting. "Uhm, does it have unwanted side effects?"

"What do you think?" She replied with a cocked head. "Everyone shows differently, yours will be visible within a few hours because you've taken no food."

"Well, I've not had a chance to eat any..."

Nicole shushed him the only way she knew how and before he could say anymore. Breaking the impromtu kiss, she jumped up to check the door and lowered her voice again. "Look, I can explain why I've done it this way, you just gotta promise me that you'll be quiet."

He gulped. Regretting it as the taste in his mouth was reminiscent of blood, unsure if it was his own or that which he'd recently consumed. "Okay, I'll be quiet. You could'a just asked, though I'm not really complaining."

"The plan is for your brothers to be turned into full vampires, a sort of final initiation, seeing as David failed." She looked down as she spoke, the words were slow to come but Jay was listening best as he could with a foggy mind.

Jay laughed softly. "Sorry," he said. "I never thought my brothers would be so easy to sway. Gotta hand it to them though, if David failed, what makes you think she'll succeed?"

"She's very persuasive."

"Bullshit."

"I mean it, she has her ways, it's how she got so many of us here under her wing."

"Entertain me then, how do you make a half vampire a full vampire?" Jay asked as he turned onto his side, flopping down on the pillow. "Tell me what's gonna happen and where I fit into this. And I'll try and act like I don't know anything." He stretched out and yawned again.

"So," she said, taking her place on the vanity stool, she edged closer to his bed. "To make that change from a half vampire to full, you have to bite someone who is not."

"Great, anything else?" Jay couldn't even gasp, he laughed instead.

"She wants them both to take your life tonight, and you can't even mention you know about this!" She stated, her eyes looking towards the door nervously.

"So, just to grin and bear it then? Like she asked?" He said, eyes closed and accepting of his impending death. "Not like I can stop them. If they want to feast then they kinda will."

She smiled at him, brushed his hair from his face, "You're not getting the bigger picture here," she admonished lightly. "Half vampires usually have a much stronger resolve. They can often control their cravings, but only for a short duration. Ms Johnson though, she can be very persuasive."

"Yeah, so you've said. Look what are you getting at?"

"That, to make it look real, you'll have to let them bite you, they'll need to prove themselves otherwise she'll kill them herself."

"Haa, I'm learning so much more about you guys and your sick habits." He was losing the will to stay awake.

"Jay?"

He groaned. "Sure, let them bite me, got it." He repeated verbatim as he turned onto his back, his forearm across his face. "She did mention a gag, so it's not like they'll know it's me will they?"

"They won't know it's you," she looked sorrowful. "You'll be covered up, that's how it's usually done."

She could tell he was upset, it was to be expected. "They'll be the only ones who can get you out of here safely." She soothed him back to sleep, pulling the covers back over him, stroking his sweaty hair from his face, "And, they won't be turned, no matter how much they drink."

"That's funny," He laughed darkly."

"What is?" She asked, looking momentarily confused.

"You could say; Cole's the reason I'm here."

Another awkward silence. It gave both the chance to listen out for any sounds down below.

"I'm not sure how long I can hold this up." Jay finally spoke, breaking the awkwardness. "This pretence?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking at him as he readjusted his position on the old style wooden bed.

"That _I'll_ know what's going down and they don't. That I've got to keep it together because if I don't, they'll know it's me and she kill them b-both."

"You won't need to keep up a pretence, they won't know it's you."

"Great, but I do. I'll know it's them because I'll recognise their voices."

What could she say to that, bar suggested ear plugs too?

"Please, I know I haven't earned your trust yet, and I probably never will, but I need you to have some trust that what I've done for you is going to save your life and that of your brothers, your family."

Jay took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "I don't trust you, or anyone here, but I've got no choice have I?"

"I'm sorry Jay, I wish there was another way, but there isn't. Mortals don't stand a chance against us, against full vampires, your brothers are the only exception to that rule."

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews everyone. This story is in the last few chapters now, maybe a handful remaining as I'm doing scene by scene.**

 **Mayor of Ninjago City, Ebony Umbreon, RandomDragon, and Master of Cupcakes, have some of Loki's cookies. (::) (::)**


	44. Chapter 44

**Sorry RandomDragon, a bit of editing was needed... oops**

* * *

When he woke up, his brother was no where to be found, in the house anyway.

He had ventured into the meadow that trailed from the back yard to as far as the eye could see. He walked back to the house after a short stroll in the early evening. Well, Cole wasn't in the house and he wasn't out here either. He hadn't seen Zane, that in itself was suspicious too.

Now nearing the front of the homestead, he mentally kicked himself. Why hadn't he checked the front outbuildings first?

"Where have you been?" Kai huffed, having finally found his dark haired brother. "I've been looking for you for ages."

"Sorry dude, been busy in here." Cole, rather than wanting to get filthy again had chosen to use some of Donald's overalls. They fit, but were a few inches short. "It's the least I could do." He shrugged standing back admiring both his and Zane's hard work.

"WHOA, you been doing this since you woke up?" Kai gaped at the bike. Though it didn't look like it had previously,it looked a darn sight better.

"Like I said," Cole smiled and cocked his head. "It's the least I could do."

"Hey," Kai said, wrapping his arm round Cole's broad shoulders. "I know why you're doing this ya know," he soothed.

Cole bit his bottom lip. "I wanted to make it right. In case it doesn't go as planned tonight."

"It will, you gotta have some faith Cole."

Faith, Kai certainly had faith. A renewed interest in it after the whole _holy_ _water_ debacle in the bathtub and the awesome use of his water-pistol as he was held ten feet up in the air. He had pulled the trigger of that tiny toy gun, aimed and squirted. The effect had been instantaneous too. A burning effect, akin to acid, and though it was gory, it was so good too.

Zane had started the engine of the performance bike. "As good as new?"

"Wow, sounds just as good." Cole grinned from ear to ear, releasing a breath he hadn't realised he was holding in, until the engine finally started up.

The thing was ticking over like it had been serviced by a pro. Exhibiting, smooth sounds, expected from such a finely tuned machine. "I think he will be happy with what we did, Cole. Some minor alterations here and there, new shock absorbers, forks and front spoked wheel."

"Yeah, kinda buckled the front, didn't I?" Cole looked sheepish. "I tried to make it right though. And, I used a shit load of money, gave Donald the list and he went and bought the stuff we needed."

"And your bank account took a battering, don't reckon Lou's gonna be best pleased about that." Kai said,placing an arm round Cole's shoulder.

Kai was past the blame game now. Simply put; Cole had suffered enough and new information had come to light.

Plus, there was no point beating around the bush of who had seen him last. It was true though, Jay had been missing for a whole week, and there had been the briefest glimpse of him by his own extremely worried girlfriend; Nya. Since then, nothing but a few choice words from the mouths of the dying vampires. Those vampires evidently relished the hurt and desolation caused by their own words because, both Kai and Cole had heard Max and David mention Jay.

Jay was alive. Dosed up on god knows what, completely out of it...but, he was alive, for now.

Yes, they had mentioned he was a partially living blood bank, that had been supplying the nutrients for a handful of female occupants.

"He's gonna love it, hey," he bent down, noting lightning bolts on the air cap covers. "These are kinda neat, your idea Zane?"

Zane shook his head. "No, I admit wholeheartedly that everything _lightning_ inspired, is courtesy of Cole here. I thought it was cheap looking but his reasoning won through. In fact; Cole has been fitting the smaller parts since Donald returned."

"Yeah see," Cole gave a cheesy grin. "I'm not completely helpless when it comes to mech and tech, I managed to put those on."

"They're air cap covers, Cole." Kai laughed softly.

"Every little helps, right?"

"Totally, dirt brain."

* * *

A few hours had passed and the two invitees had been safely delivered to the party. The message relayed was that Zane and Lloyd, would stand by, just in case things got out of hand. And by _out of hand_ , meaning when the shit was about to hit the proverbial fan.

Surprisingly, they were pleased to know they weren't the only young males in the place. There was _one_ other there, sitting, with two girls gyrating on his clothed thighs. Cole had rolled his eyes at the spectacle, he had wondered why there were so many females here and hardly any men. Obviously not putting two and two together yet.

They carried on walking through the rooms, trying to find somewhere quiet to sit and relax after standing and small talking for a few hours. This three story old house was similar to a maze, not helped by the fact that every room,other than the kitchen, had sliding doors. It meant that as they walked from each room, they got swept along with the revellers. The had ventured upstairs, on the first floor because that was where the bathroom was. Neither had stayed, in the vicinity though. One stood guard by the door as the other used the facilities, as was often the case with rowdy parties such as this.

Back downstairs, Cole had taken the lead in getting them through the rooms unscathed. Whilst Kai was memorising the rooms and escape routes for when the shit would inevitably go down. "It's strange how many rooms this place has, like three floors and most of the rooms are locked?"

"Ugh, maybe because as with some parties, people don't wanna find someone getting down and dirty on their own bed, ya know, when it's time to turn in for the night?" Kai reasoned with a loose shrug.

"Mm, maybe." Cole partially agreed. "I'm telling ya, there's something weird going on here, the smoke is everywhere."

"Well most of the doors downstairs are open and the stairs are open plan. Ya wanna sit down for a bit?"

"Thanks captain obvious!" Cole flicked Kai's ear in response. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"Yeah, why not?" Kai squinted in the cloudy atmosphere.

"Oh ya know, just the whole falling asleep at parties and waking up with permanent marker on your face, or worse."

Disregarding the threat, Kai yawned, taking another lungful of the smoky air. "Uh C-Cole, how long have we been here?"

"Too long and no M.O.L to speak of."

"M.O.L?"

Cole, stared at his bottle of beer in confusion. The exasperation on his face as he shook his head at Kai, shooting him a crooked eyebrow. "Master of L, ya know the missing one, the reason we're here?"

"Oh, you mean _JAY_?"

Cole's eyes widened, the slit throat sign being executed to perfection to silence him from saying anymore. "FSM, Kai, keep it down will ya?"

"Sorry Cole," Kai placed his empty bottle on the table. "Uhm, you fancy a walk, stretch our legs?" He looked around, a few suspicious gazes being cast his way after his impromptu outburst.

* * *

The messy room they vacated, had empty bottles laid haphazardly upon the ground. A literal danger zone, waiting for someone to trip over because no-one here seemed to care that they were scattered everywhere. It was a small wonder that neither Cole nor Kai had been a victim of these perfect rolling trip hazards, having kept upright as they milled about the large house.

As for the occupants of this crowded communal area, they way they looked reminded the two new faces of the beer bottles again. Everyone surrounding them, looked empty, washed out and useless. Even the half dressed man in the corner, whom the women seemed to be all over.

Stepping over the mess, both Ninja walked single file, leaving the god awful devastation of the rowdy room. The following room would likely be just as bad, if not worse. Both brothers in arms, walked further into a smoke screened room. Being barely able to see more than a metre in front of them, they squinted their eyes to look for any un-occupied seat. There was one, a small two seater sofa but the room was so stuffy the smoke seemed to come in and in here it stayed, lingering like a bad fart... or a terribly unfunny joke at a funeral.

It lingered like an unwelcome guest.

Suddenly out of the cloud cover walked a vision in red. A red haired female came up to Kai, two beer bottles in hand, she cheekily squeezed between brothers, giggling at Kai's reaction as she sat down. "Are you having fun?"

Cole grumbled, pulling himself uncomfortably away from her closeness, leaving her to manhandle Kai, who'm he figured was perfectly capable, being as he was the one to accept the invite.

Her question solely focused on Kai.

Luckily the smoke screen and red lamps hid his blush effectively. "Y-Yes." He mumbled, vaguely recognising her in this exposing attire. It had been a couple of days, but he was sure it was her. "I-I like the costume," Kai stumbled with his words. He smiled nervously, trying to keep his eyes horizontal with hers.

It was exceedingly difficult though, red glitter lipstick and a spandex, skin tight devil costume, complete with plunging neckline and glitter horns. He gulped, feeling her closing in on him like cornered prey.

"I'm so glad you could make it at such short notice."

"Well, we kinda had to race around to find something suitable to wear." Kai smirked.

"Yeah, it was a killer night last night, we couldn't get away, so we had to rush around like headless chickens today." Cole added, a cheeky wink that was unseen by Skylor.

She looked confused for a few minutes as she took on his attire and that of his dark haired plus one. "So, who have you two come as?" She poked Kai's near bare chest with her razor sharp red nails. "Ooh smooth and toned." She giggled.

"I think Cole is emulating Zorro, ya know with the whole bare chested look and partial face mask."

Cole shrugged, smirking in response as he luxuriated on the sumptuous couch. "Chicks dig this setup." Trying his hardest to sound smug and sexist, least this way he'd get a few females, and maybe he could slay them with his hidden stakes. That was the plan anyway.

"I'm a vampire, of course." Kai answered, with a simple shrug.

* * *

Neither could put their finger on it, but there was something in this smoke that was chilling them. Relaxing them to the point of being couch potatoes, rather than wanting to get up and dance or liaise.

"Careful Kai, this is dangerous territory." Cole warned. "You don't know what you're getting yourself..." He paused, rubbing his hands over his face as Kai allowed her to kiss him.

"Fine, whatever!" Cole groaned, in response to the finger he received.

It was too late, the smoke was a drug of some sort and Kai was seeing stars as well as a lot more of Skylor as the red haired vixen had straddled him.

"I'm going out for some fresh air, I'll be back in shortly." Cole rolled his eyes, struggling to get off the sofa as his brother sat obliviously, eyes closed with a female he hardly knew. "Freaking drugs in the air or something," he muttered to himself.

"Don't be too long sweetie, the main event will be taking place, you don't want to miss out on it." An older female warned as Cole stood on the threshold, at the open door, breathing in wafts of fresh air.

"I'll be back in a minute, just need some fresh air." Cole repeated.

He walked outside, finding an empty swinging porch chair. The thing was bare wood, from what he could see, it kind of matched the whole house too, gave it that run down feeling, purposeful or not. Cole luxuriated on that too, leaning back uncomfortably as each wooden slat dug into his back. He didn't care, he was more grateful for the relief that the fresh air gave him. When he was out here, he felt safer, more in control. He also knew that his brothers were nearby and if he needed them, he'd maybe send a focused and directed tremor to their approximate location.

His ears perked up when he heard a form of pathetic groaning coming from within the house. A muffled sort of noise, possibly male, though it could have been female too. At first, he thought it could have been the music, but when it happened again, he turned his head.

Standing back up, he gave a final stretch and walked back into the house. Immediately hit by that same wall of smoke as before. Cole walked into it, coughing as he adjusted to the bad polluting toxic air. "K-Kai? The smoke's even worse now, I swear they're trying to smoke us out." He laughed, coughing in response. His hands wafting the smoke away so he could see clearly. "Kai?"

What he saw made him pause in his tracks. His first thoughts was that Kai had simply gone mad.

There was a man, by definition, surrounded by young women. His toned chest was bare for all to see, but his arms were covered in a plaid unbuttoned top. The more Cole looked the less he could properly identify, other than the fact that this man was scrawny. This man's face was completely obscured by a pillow case, and yet, he was unable to verbalise anything. Which to Cole, meant he was possibly gagged underneath too.

Kai had turned feral, his usually warm brown eyes had turned yellow and his razor blade smile had returned full force as he dug them deep into the man's shaking upper arm. Those same teeth, bared in desperation. He had been lured in by Skylor and he had bitten down hard into what the older woman had said was the brachial artery.

The sound that Cole had heard, had been the gagged whimper of pain that the man had struggled to contain. Obviously, the immense power behind an unrestrained bite from Kai, specifically; a bite of hunger and desperation, this was uncontrollable and powerful.

Cole tried to stop himself, really he did, but the sight of Kai's face as his thirst was slaked was too much to bear. The man was still alive, shaking, trembling in fear, but still alive.

"Come on, Cole. You know you want to."

He paused, watching Kai wipe his face, then lick his hand clean.

"Tastes so damned good." He replied, almost testing him, going back in for more.

"Maybe a little incentive, you need to see some flowing before it gets you excited?" Of course Ms Johnson wasn't going to flat out tell them that they would need to kill the man, that would come naturally as the drug they too had consumed, would warrant them to take the rest of his blood.

"Nicole, do it." She ordered, her voice like broken glass.

The meek video store clerk walked forward with a small serrated blade, walking up to the man, she leaned in close to his ear, and apologised. She aimed it at nothing remotely important, no major organs or blood vessels. Pushing the blade in, she stabbed harder than intended and Jay groaned, squeezing his eyes closed, wishing it to be over already.

It was all Cole needed. This was a feast put on for him and his brother, something had snapped in his mind and he lunged for the seated and bound man. Now stood in front of him, he so wanted to remove the pillowcase covering his face, but he was told it was forbidden. Instead, he took his time and relished in how weak this man was as he forced him against the wall. Cole was looking for the best place to bite. Kai had already taken the upper arm and joined his side again, taking the same place as before.

The man tensed up in response, flailing his limbs as much as he could. Until Cole bit his neck, then there was nothing. Nothing but shock from the man, who stopped fighting. He became limp, losing all strength and fight.

Satiated for once, Cole released the man and pulled Kai away to admire their meal.

He was still breathing, albeit rapidly and convulsing with the lack of oxygenated blood to the brain.

"You did well, but there's more to go?" The elder female stated.

"You want us to suck him dry?" Cole queried with a quirked brow. Sinking his teeth in again yet not getting that same exhilarating taste, despite how much more he took.

Something was strange, Cole looked at Kai, they'd had a huge fill of blood but felt no different. They were at least hoping for that, hoping to feel full, as they had been led to believe. As David and his brothers had explained they would. Feeding would stave off the hunger, give them energy, yet all they felt was hung out and drained, possibly similar to how the man felt.

Kai took it upon himself, "I want to know who it is," he growled, teeth bared.

"As you wish," She shrugged.

"What happened to the rules?" Tox asked, outraged at the lapse in protocol afforded to these two young men.

"Rules can be amended, broken, updated. Besides, nothing will change will it? They both partook in the killing of him with or without seeing his face."

Ms Johnson nodded to Nicole and Skylor who pulled the pillow case of his face.

Nicole, knelt down, her face sorrowful as she removed the gag. Knowing full well how much pain he was in, but that he would survive if given time.

There he sat, in a fashion, he was more off the chair than he was on it. Almost entirely held up by the ropes that bound him. It was Jay, the man they had almost sucked dry, right there, in front of them, their missing brother bleeding out from three new wounds that bled. Eyes rolled so far back all that could be seen was the sclera.

How had they been so blind to be suckered in to this? The evening had been going so well, up until that point, then this damned smoke screen began affecting them, their way of thinking, their judgement, sense of danger, inhibitions...everything.

They had been played, on purpose and Cole was frozen in shock at the revelation that he'd tried to kill the brother, he had been trying to find.

* * *

Kai exploded in a fit of rage, Cole barely had enough time to plow into Jay and topple him from the chair, landing on top of his brother, he shielded him from the blast of heat that sent some vampires to their own deaths as they flew out of the windows, landing rather unfortunately on the crossbeams of the frame.

Two female vampires met their demise that way, Another met her demise when Cole rammed his fist through her chest and pulled out the beating thing from within her before stabbing it with a pencil.

He looked at Kai, as the house began to get a little too hot. "Still a stake right?"

"Through the heart?" Kai said, trying to lighten the humour despite the fact that Jay was barely hanging on to his own life. The master of lightning was un-moving, the only movements he exhibited was the worsening convulsions his body gave at the loss of so much blood.

Cole held up the dead thing, it wasn't beating anymore. "I guess."

"You need to get him out of here, send them a sign, NOW!" Kai ordered, looking down at Jay, as Cole unbound his wrists.

The vampires, the few that had survived the explosion and subsequent slaying were in various rooms surrounding the still burning house. It was their sanctuary. The remaining few included the matriarch, Skylor and Nicole.

Cole sent a gentle rumble, directing it west, south west. Waiting desperately with his brother, dragging him out of the burning house as his breathing laboured to non existent gasps for air. Foam began appearing around his mouth as Cole struggled to control the increasing convulsions. "I-I don't wanna leave you out here, but Zane is literally just around the corner, he's gonna take you to the hospital."

Though it pained him to think it, Jay didn't look like he was going to make it, he was dying; as David and Max had forewarned. But it was either stay for Jay's last moments, try to amend that rift or help Kai; who was at present, taking on three vampires on his own.

His relief and guardian angel arrived when he saw the station wagon ram through the gates at breakneck speed. A final hand break turn to get the vehicle back facing in the right direction, and then the rapid appearance of two panic stricken brothers.

Zane sprinted out of the car, running to Jay's side. Looking at him with a look of horror plastered on his face. "Have you got this Cole?" He asked, lifting Jay up with help from Lloyd.

Lloyd was speechless at the carnage, more so at the state that Jay was in.

Cole nodded, taking one last look at his limp brother. "Tell him, I'm sorry."

Zane barked at Cole one last time, giving a firm nod, he turned with Lloyd and between them, they hauled Jay in the wagon.

* * *

"What I was saying was that..." Nicole struggled to speak, having held on for the calm one to listen to her. "If you keep the matriarch alive, even for a short while, Jay will recover." Her hands grasping the spike that ran through her chest. "I saved him, made it so you two wouldn't be turned, no matter how much you took."

"He was half vampire too, when?" Cole asked.

"Monday night," Her breathing slowing. "So, dr-drinking most of what he had wouldn't kill him or turn you. B-because he is like you, w-was like you."

Cole shivered, the curse had been lifted. He didn't have the heart to tell her that it took both him and Kai to take the bitch down. Ms Johnson was no more, though she had been a tough cookie, packed a mean punch for such a dead old lady.

"Ms Johnson's dead." Kai replied, running his hands through his wet floppy blood stained hair. He was now the picture of bloody calm, now that the house had been drenched; courtesy of Nya choosing to stay behind in Misako's car.

"Th-then, he's in for a long recovery." She smiled, "I'm sorry, tell him that." Nicole coughed up some blood as her breathing turned Cheyne stokes, till it finally stopped.

Death wasn't an easy thing to watch, even if it was a vampire that had turned good, if there was such a thing. This one had helped their brother, but withheld that little fact until she too, had been staked. She wanted it though, she hadn't run, she accepted it even bared her fangs to show she was a vampire too.

Kai took a deep breath in, reflection and contemplation. "This was the room they kept him in." The ticking of the alarm clock could be heard clearly, making it seem like quite the calming place. He looked up, the wallpaper was peeling and then against the wall, he saw a single bed with a blue moth eaten eiderdown. "It's done, Cole. We did it." He didn't feel it though.

"So why do I feel like utter shit? Like a complete failure?"

Kai shrugged. "They changed the rules. It was a setup from the start. They lured us in, knowing full well we'd come looking for Jay."

"Because David didn't do it right." Cole surmised. "And Max died trying."

"So the matriarch took it upon herself to turn us," Kai grumbled, scooping anything of Jay's they could find. "And that was her biggest mistake, she underestimated us."

"But she almost did it," Cole argued, face angry and emotional. "If it wasn't for her," he pointed back at Nicole. "Jay would be dead right now. We nearly killed him, our own brother."

"Guys?" Nya called gently, walking into the room, hair frizzy with humidity.

Kai looked up at his sister, noticing tears in her eyes, though whether it was from the carnage outside or the possibility of using her element to douse a massive house fire, he wasn't sure. She brushed it off, wiping her face with the back of her sleeve.

"We need to go the hospital, NOW." She said clearly, her voice cracking with emotion. "Jay's on life support."

She only knew this because her car had been parked next to the payphone. Zane had called a few minutes after they had arrived with Jay.

"SHIT!" Cole rubbed his face hard. And once again, he felt solely responsible for the reason behind Jay's ill health. Neither had known of course, if they had, they may have let the old bitch live a little longer. But she posed more a threat than Skylor had, so she was the first to go. A little after Zane had left, Kai and Cole pinned her down and drove two stakes through her chest.

That was the moment Jay's own heart had stopped.

"How far is the hospital?" Kai asked, racing out of the room as fast as they could.

"Ten minutes, major trauma centre."

"Is he in surgery?" Cole asked, nervously.

Nya disturbingly silent, shook her head as she climbed hastily into Misako's car, not bothering with the seat belt nor the fact that Cole hadn't shut the passenger door before she accelerated out of this hellhole. "The stab wound was stitched, it hit no major organs."

"So, why's he on life support?" Kai pushed, probing for an answer, growing more anxious by the second.

She couldn't answer, not without crashing the car or screaming loudly and filling it with water and drowning everyone within it. She couldn't answer and so, she didn't.

"Nya?" Cole tried.

Nothing, she was too distraught to speak, barely capable of driving a car, even though she was driving it at breakneck speed.


	45. Chapter 45

"Only two visitors at a time," The consultant warned,though his voice was calm despite the ridiculously early hour. "Just, try not to be too intimidated by the machinery, it was only needed to stabilise him and, we'll be removing it shortly."

Both costumed young men nodded.

He looked at the two of them. Both looked like they had an epic story to tell, judging by their appearances alone. Plus, it was written all over their faces, their attire telling another story entirely. Obviously he figured they had both been to a costume party, they had spent the best part of thirty minutes telling the consultant as much. Yet he had a feeling they were keeping something back too, because both seemed withdrawn, more so than was usual when a decent prognosis was given.

"Well, as I explained earlier, he put up a bit of a fight with us, gave us quite a scare for a few minutes. But he's young, he'll pull through."

Cole and Kai walked through the sterile beige linoleum floored corridor. Wooden picture frames hung on the tiled walls to break up the tedious never ending blank spaces. Further along, and at regular intervals, rows of plastic chairs sat next to vending machines which sold over priced confectionery for those visitors who had no other option than to splurge on such high calorie snacks.

Further on down the corridor, they followed the consultant as he passed rows and rows of side rooms with equally sick individuals in. It was sombre, quiet, and it some rooms, quite despairing too.

Nurses seemed to be sitting in the room with the patient's, jotting down observations, monitoring them closely at intervals then going back to sitting and watching. A never ending cycle that was repeated every thirty minutes without fail.

"Here we are," he said, opening the door to a large side room, one that seemed bigger than the others. "Intensive care, you have to expect the machinery too."

"And the 'round the clock' care." The nurse chimed in.

The immediate smell to ambush their olfactory senses was of antiseptic chlorhexidine, a type of body wash they used on all emergency patients to stop any superbugs from spreading. The next thing, was the sound. An all consuming soul shattering mechanical breathing, timed to deliver and retrieve one breath every three seconds. A clicking sound, when the lungs were adequately inflated.

"Like I said, he's young and he should pull through this, but it'll take a bit of time, it was an extremely close call wasn't it Jay?" He asked, walking to the prone man, checking his pulse again whilst nodding at the nurse. "Lower the sedation, least for the next six hours, lets see if we can get this breathing apparatus switched off, hmm?"

He looked back down at his patient. A sense of sympathy for each one he treated. "You gave the team quite a scare didn't you?" He pulled the tape back on each eye and shone a pen light to check pupil response, smiling when it revealed nothing untoward, signifying no neurological damage. The tape was placed again, securely keeping each eye closed. "Feeding tube too please, his oral care seems to indicate that he hasn't eaten for a while."

The nurse agreed, writing down the simple instructions as the consultant signed for it.

"And, lessen the air flow, we need to get him breathing on his own." He nodded with his own order and rubbed Jay's upper arm. "Page me, if he de sats or if his fluid levels fall."

"Yes Sir." The nurse nodded.

Cole and Kai had filtered into the room, the sorrow on their faces when they saw him lying there was immense. The thing is though and as they had been forewarned; the room was awash with machinery. It took pride of place alongside the obligatory metal framed hospital bed. The occupant of which, looked like a pale rubberised resus doll rather than their own brother.

He was covered in so much plastic and rubber tubing that he looked like he had been the unlucky participant of a science experiment gone wrong. The truth however, was far worse. He had been the unwilling victim of a real life horror, and he had been lucky to escape with his life, with his heart still beating.

Jay was laying supine on the bed, chest exposed with dressings scattered here there and everywhere. In fact, his chest was largely unscathed other than the small knife wound. His arms though were bandaged, it must have been easier rather than place a huge amount of sticky dressings down the length of each limb. Besides, Cole had remembered the doctors and healthcare staff mentioning that they'd had difficulty in finding good veins up top. His arms were destroyed, the veins collapsed before they could get anything from them because he was dehydrated and far too bruised. It left them no alternative but to use his neck and femoral artery to deliver the multitude of blood products required to stabilise his body.

It would also explain why his leg was exposed and why the consultant was pumping a syringe full of clear fluid into the cannula valve.

Cole only hoped that Misako and Zane had given the doctor's a good enough and believable excuse that they'd buy it and not push the topic further, as to Jay's pitifully shocking state. It was fairly obvious that they would never, in a million years, believe that their quaint town was once awash with vampires and such. It wasn't now.

Plus, if the police and Sheriff's office didn't believe this coastal town had a vampire problem, then the hospitals wouldn't either. So it was more than likely that Zane had come up with the excuse that Jay had become rebellious and had somehow ended up in a gang, getting hooked on illegal substances and pushing his body past it's limits.

* * *

"How long has he got to stay like this?" Cole asked, grasping Jay's hand, the only part of skin he could touch without being impeded by tubes and wires.

"Until he can breathe for himself." The nurse said, smiling in sympathy. "We have to let the medication work first and whilst he's heavily sedated, he can't breathe properly."

"Why, what happened?"

"Initially, his heart stopped, it caused a little bit of kidney damage which is thankfully reversible." The consultant replied.

"He's an exceptionally lucky young man, considering." The nurse soothed, wiping Jay's face free from his errant hair.

"Considering what?" Kai asked, joining Cole's side.

"The consultant was considering placing a pacemaker, to steady his heart, to prevent further damage to his organs."

"I was but," The consultant nodded as he gathered his belongings. "We didn't need to, once we realised the issue. Severe blood loss, he's had four units so far, plasma and white cells too. IV antibiotics, that's why there's so many tubes."

Cole had noticed the sheer amount. Well, he had certainly won that contest now. One stupid competition they had foolishly spoken of when Cole had been ill with appendicitis a year or so ago. He had at least two tubes in, not to mention oxygen too.

But this, this was horrendous.

"Monitor input and output, notify me if anything changes."

"Hey Jay?" Cole said, leaning closer to Jay's ear. "You're gonna pull through, okay? You're gonna get better, you hear that?" He watched his best friend, his chest rising unnaturally, falling slowly, the slowing beat of his heart, to a more reasonable rate.

"You, you're gonna be alright, I swear it." He rubbed his face, pursing his lips. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise Jay, I'll make it up to you."

"Cole?" Kai bit his lip. "Stop blaming yourself, it's not helping matters, he wouldn't want you to beat yourself up about this."

The false sound of breathing didn't fill Cole with hope, it pulled it from his heart and smashed it on the floor. He didn't want to admit this, to flat out state it was his fault, yet he felt it inside.

Inhalation...exhalation. The steady sound of a heart rate, slightly faster than one beat per second.

 _He'll pull through, he's young. Stubborn but young._

 _You gotta have faith, Cole._

"Good fluid balance, it means the fluids are doing their job. Okay, leave up the IV, take down the bloods and check his full blood count tomorrow."

 _Severe blood loss, we lost him a few times in recovery._

"Jay?"

 _He flat lined, Cole._

 _I had to do CPR when Zane was breaking the speed barrier._

 _Inhale...exhale_

"Come on Jay, you got this." Cole squeezed tighter. "Please."

 _Jay's on life support._

"Nya needs you, we all need you. I need you to pull through this."

 _If he lost anymore, it would be another story._

 _He's holding on, we've stabilised him._

Cole shook his head, biting his lip hard.

Suddenly, without warning, Cole lost it entirely. The master of lightning was still, peaceful in a drug induced coma. His beautiful sapphire eyes were taped shut. His mouth was wedged open with a plastic airway that extended by way of a breathing tube to a machine that provided each lifesaving breath. Mouth permanently taped open and around this artificial device.

But there was a finger twitch.

"Jay?" Cole smiled, peeling the tape from his eyes. "Open your eyes for me."

"You shouldn't expect anything big for a day at least. By then, we'll know if more damage was sustained, though we're not foreseeing any issues, he's had a CT scan, brain activity is normal since we stemmed the seizures." The nurse soothed, patting Kai's shoulder.

She had wheeled in a tray adorned with a selection of biscuits and warm drinks. "The best thing you can do is talk to him, it can be a lonesome place where he is right now." She placed a carafe of coffee, and two mugs.

"You two look washed out, have you eaten anything substantial?"

"Yeah, sorta." Kai shrugged as all the colour drained from his face and his hand shot to his mouth in response. "Be right back." he mumbled through his hand, scarpering from the room.

The nurse had turned to Cole, the only one who was still awake. "The call bell is here," She said, passing Cole the hand held device. "Any issues, press it. If he seems to be struggling, press that button there." She pointed at the one on the wall, red with the words emergency emblazoned across it.

"Thanks," Cole muttered, nodding as she left the room.

He placed the call back on his lap, taking Jay's warm hand once again. "Sorry bro, kinda let you down didn't I?" He looked up and down the bed. "You cold huh? Could get Kai to come in and warm your blankets for ya, but I reckon the nurses might have something to say about that right?"

"Can you hear me Jay? I'm right here."

His hand twitched again, heavily lidded eyes slowly trying to open.

"Jay, are...are you?" His excitement was mounting as he stood closer. "I'm right here, next to you. Can you open your eyes for me?"

The machines were buzzing, whirring and ticking intermittently. One was raising and lowering with each forced breath, One machine had three fluids running through it, providing measured doses of pain relief, sedation and IV fluids. A surgical steel stand, held two bags, one with a gravity fed bag of antibiotics and another with a fresh batch of O positive hanging. Most of them were being fed into his exposed inner thigh, some being slowly fed into the smaller veins in his foot and the more important ones,into his neck.

"Hang in there Jay, you hear me, you hang in there."

Kai had wandered back in, looking decidedly ill, clutching a bottle of flavoured water to rid his mouth of the taste of half vampire blood.

It was obvious that Jay was too sedated to open his eyes, but this was a hugely positive sign. And most definitely indicative of Jay's recovery. "H-how's Nya?"

Kai took his place on the opposite side of the bed, facing Cole. "As you'd expect," he replied. His hands tucking into his pants pocket, a brown chemist issued bottle was brought forth. He passed it carefully over Jay to Cole.

"What is it, what are you giving me?"

Kai grimaced. "A double edged sword," he quipped. "It'll make you feel like shit and then, strangely enough, you'll feel better afterwards, at least physically."

Cole looked at the bottle suspiciously.

"You trust me, right?" Kai frowned, offering Cole something that he knew would make him sick. "Zane say's its the quickest way to empty your stomach."

"And, "Kai continued. "It's the quickest way to get rid of Jay's blood, from your stomach."

Cole nodded before turning the bottle to read the label. " _Ipecac_? Gross." He cringed, opening the bottle and taking a small discrete mouthful. "You stay here with him." He ordered, knowing how fast this emetic would work. Passing Kai the call bell. "I'll be back in a..." Cole bolted for the door before he could finish his statement.

* * *

 _"Uh, he's stopped spazzing out Zane!"_

 _"He is having convulsions because of blood loss, the effect of such is creating systemic damage." Zane surmised, pressing the accelerator further to the floor as they entered the interstate for the nearest major trauma centre._

 _"J-just keep him comfortable, keep pressure on his artery. The stab wound is not bleeding as heavily."_

 _"It's everywhere, Zane," Lloyd looked an off green colour, his hands were shaking, covered in Jay's blood. "I-I can't keep them all covered." He looked up momentarily, catching Zane's panicked gaze in the rear view mirror. "I need an extra set of hands."_

 _"Sorry, no can do, I need to drive."_

 _"You can't stop?" Lloyd replied, exasperated and panic stricken._

 _Zane shook his head. "The longer we delay getting him help will be the choice we give him of life or death. And, I personally do not want to be held accountable for his further demise."_

 _"Wh-what should I do?"_

 _"There are two major wounds, his arm and neck, everything else is minor in comparison." Zane stated. Growling under his breath as he was forced to overtake a slow elderly couple. God knows why they were out here at three am. Maybe they'd been out having a literal ball, either way, their driving skills and indecision to choose a lane was grating on Zane's ability to keep calm._

 _"Apply gentle pressure to his neck, firm pressure to his arm."_

 _Zane frowned, hissing. "Pick a lane, there are four to choose from, just one,_ **pick one!** _"_

 _He was already speeding, ninety on an open stretch of road, weaving through traffic whilst calculating the quickest route. "How is he Lloyd?" He looked into the rear view mirror and his heart jumped into his mouth._

 _Lloyd was providing mouth to mouth, intermittently sitting on Jay's chest and giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Delivering hard, deep compressions. "nine and ten and eleven..."_

 _"Twenty eight, twenty nine and thirty."_

 _Between breaths. "Floor it Zane, he's not responding."_

 _It had been a minute that Lloyd had noticed no heart beat and no breathing sounds._

 _The longest minute of his life._

 _The bright lights were made more prominent by his blurred vision as Zane screeched the car to a halt in the emergency department's lobby._

 _He flat out ignored the security staff who told him to move the car. Instead he grabbed the lifeless body of his half dressed brother from the back of the car and shouted at the man to get a gurney._

* * *

 ** _MoC: Star will make one final appearance. And yes, he'll make a full recovery...I hope. Plus; he's young, like the consultant said tehehe._**

 ** _RandomDragon: She is dead, the wicked witch is dead and the two half vampires went all out like a bunch of madmen. Call it bloodlust, rage, either way, that energised blood they consumed, gave them all the strength they needed to take her down._**

 ** _Mayor of Ninjago city: Santa Carla needs a new member of parliament, you think you would like to run for office here? On another note, my heart pounded a little when I wrote it. I had to listen to some particularly instrumental music and some 90's hits to get the right mood._**


	46. Chapter 46

**_I wrote this to a variety of songs, but the one that stuck out most was: Unchained Melody by the Righteous brothers - for the feels._**

 _ **Because time goes by so slowly and time can do so much. (Cliche and cheesy, I know!)**_

 ** _And, time is an important factor in this chapter; for reflection, recovery, acceptance and admissions of guilt._**

 ** _Basically, what I'm saying is that: they all need time to get over this. Working on the High dependency wards really brings life threatening injury home. So, with that out of the way, I hope this chapter delivers some of what being in a hospital entails for the patient and their next of kin._**

* * *

It sounded like the typical radio broadcast, the same one you'd be woken up with.

It was Wednesday, the time was fast approaching 06:29am on a typically bright and breezy Santa Carla morning. The sun was already bathing the coastal city in warming sunlight. Not that they could take advantage of the Pacific views from here, nor the sea air, this hospital was in the back of beyond. A good twenty kilometres or so from the beachfront.

And despite the slowly increasing heat from outside, the air conditioning within the hospital kept the room at a stuffy 23 degrees Centigrade. The machines in the room were whirring, adding their own heat to the mix, so it was no small wonder that the majority of occupants in the room, _save for the one laid up at a forty five degree tilt and his nurse,_ the othertwo were fast asleep, likely lulled that way by the white noise the machines were making.

It was a normal routine for the nurse, as she stood to take his blood pressure and pulse. She was momentarily interrupted from her observations as a slight beeping noise caught her attention. She looked to her immediate side, and on her mobile table she grasped the small alarm clock, resetting it, to avoid disturbing the two sleeping men in her midst. "Sorry." She mouthed, pulling an apologetic face as she placed the small clock back on the table, now noting the spiky haired man was rousing from his slumber.

"Is e-everything alright?" Kai asked, bleary eyed. He sat upright a little too fast and winced, stretching out his back as the previous night's 'fight for survival' came back to haunt him with a painful ache, one that just wouldn't budge in this environment.

Typically though, Kai had initially thought the worst when he heard that alarm, thinking morbidly that the sound was alerting them of something bad like Jay's breathing having ceased or _first spinjitzu master forbid_ , Jay's heart having stopped yet again.

Lucky for everyone involved, Jay's heart had stabilised from it's previous critical state, being a little over three hours ago since it had been forcefully restarted.

Automatically, Kai had turned to face his brother grasping his hand again, missing the touch already. He watched him sleeping, it was a drug induced slumber, and because it was drug induced, it would have to run its course in order to allow the medication to work.

Still, for Kai, it was so hard seeing him like this. Jay was sleeping soundly, not looking to be in any pain whatsoever.

And that blasted contraption that was taped in his mouth, that thing was keeping him unnaturally silenced.

Oh how Kai wished he could hear Jay's voice again, even just a laugh instead of what he was currently hearing. In fact it was it was no small wonder that Cole had broken down in tears, this after having remained stoic for so long. The sounds of the ventilator was enough to make anyone lose it, and he had done.

"Yes, just a reminder alarm. Nothing bad." She said, a gentle smile playing upon her face as she carried on with her duties.

Kai nodded in acceptance before turning to her. He could just make out the signs of a new day dawning, peeking through the edges of the pattern less black out blinds. He adjusted his eyes as she gradually allowed a blanket of sunlight, entrance to the room. It shone directly onto Jay who instinctively tried, but failed to shy away from it.

Cole grumbled in his sleep but remained gently snoring with his head on Jay's mattress.

"Good, I was worried there." Kai admitted, rubbing the back of his stiff hair style. "I'm not used to all these things. I guess it takes a bit of getting used to."

"All part and parcel of this department," she said, emptying the bag of fluid. The nurse quickly placed a fresh one, jotting down the amount passed, before looking up from her charts and noting the time. "You know, you two should really get some proper sleep, you've been here all night."

"That's not an issue is it?"

"No, not at all, you look exhausted."

"I'm not going anywhere," Kai stated firmly, he was holding onto Jay's hand doggedly, refusing point blank to let go.

As with all hospitals, intensive care was open visiting hours. Relatives and friends were able to stay all night, as long as they didn't cause a fuss nor disturb how patient care was delivered. "I'm not forcing you to, I'm just letting you know he's making good progress and you could, _if you wanted to_ , go home and freshen up, get some sleep." She suggested. "He's in the best place, here."

"And what if something happens to him and we're not here?" Kai interjected.

"We'd call you if anything were to change." She replied, looking up from her chart.

 _And what if something happens and we don't make it back in time?_ _NO, st-stop thinking like that..._

He clenched his free hand into a tightened fist, wanting so much to bite his knuckles. There was no way in hell he was leaving this room unless Jay started to show signs of improvement. Then, and only then would he contemplate stretching his legs, he certainly wouldn't be leaving the hospital. He'd only done that the once before and it had been the worst day of his life, he hadn't made it back in time.

He wasn't going to risk it for a brother, he would rather pass out from exhaustion than attempt to drive home in this state. His brothers would likely agree with him too, Nya especially. "No, I'm staying," he said, his tone blunt. The conversation, as far as he was concerned, was now over.

There was no questioning his sound logic, Kai and Nya, had learned this from a past mistake.

The nurse, unperturbed by his reply simply carried on with her duties. Slowly and painlessly, she began by removing surplus tubing. Most of the lines weren't needed anymore now that the blood products had run through. The central line was taken out carefully and firm pressure was applied, her eyes remained on the clock as she waited for a full few minutes to pass before she placed a dressing.

Finally, as her list was coming to an end before her shift was over, she lessened the ventilator settings.

"Why are you doing that?" Kai asked. Watching her intently as she lowered the breaths to a worrying eight breaths per minute.

She smiled. "It's protocol, if he responds, he'll do so quickly when his body fights for breath."

Kai's eyebrow rose with uncertainty. "Isn't that a bit, _cruel_?"

 _Like Jay hasn't been through enough shit already._

"Very, some would say unethical too." She nodded wholeheartedly. "Besides; you have to be cruel to be kind. And, we do this to trigger his own body to take over, otherwise; he'll be stuck on this ventilator for much longer than he needs to be."

"Hang on, you're going to be doing this alone, what if he stops breathing all together?"

"He won't, and in the extreme case that he does, I'll just press that little red button there." She said, pointing to the one on the wall.

"Right." Kai's face paled as he took this in. "So he's going to be struggling to breathe?" His own breath caught in his throat at the fact he'd more than likely end up watching Jay struggling again. The first time was bad enough, but to see it again was going to be heart wrenching.

She nodded. "Completely normal. Kai, are you sure you don't want a rest, you're looking awfully pale?"

Kai was sure that the nurse would look _awfully_ pale too if she hadn't seen the sun for a good few days, or in fact if she had engorged herself on the blood of a half vampire. "No, I'm sure I don't want a rest." He replied in a hushed whisper, keeping a firm grasp on Jay's hand. "Besides, it wouldn't feel right leaving him here like this."

Cole had fallen asleep in the chair opposite, he didn't look particularly comfortable, totally oblivious to the neck pain he was giving himself.

"He's improving every hour, and, he's passed the critical stage. _This_ , is what we would call the home stretch." She jotted down his observations on her chart. "Meaning he's satisfactory." She finished, with a smile.

Medical states, Kai wasn't wholly familiar with the terminology they used in places like this. Still, the term ' _satisfactory_ ' had to mean something.

For a few seconds, he let that go in. "I know," He countered. He was fully accepting of the fact that Jay was past the worst of it and this was now the slow road to recovery that the consultant had mentioned, he nodded in response. "I-I just want to be here when he wakes up, that's all."

"That's all, Jay." He said, squeezing his brother's hand, trying to maintain that warmth.

 _To tell you that I'm sorry...To see you open those eyes._

It was the least he could do, considering himself and Cole were partly responsible for him being in here and in this state. Kai held firm onto Jay's hand, his grip unrelenting. Gentle warmth travelling from his palm into Jay's hand, sending that heat gently up his arm to fight off the drugs and to let Jay know he was here, supporting him every step of the way. He hoped the warmth he was emitting was enough to let his brother know who it was, holding his hand. The other hand was rubbing slow, gentle circles on Jay's upper arm, avoiding the dressings or the wound that Cole had given him. "You hear that Jay, you'll be breaking out of here soon." A huge feeling of relief washed over Kai as he felt a gentle squeeze in response.

"His temperature seems to be in a good range, _finally_." The nurse noted, smiling.

"Y-yeah," Kai smiled, but carried on providing the warmth that he hoped was making Jay feel better. "Uhm, how long will it take for the uh, _drugs_ to be out of his system?"

"Hours, maybe less. It all depends when he took his last dose."

Kai had momentarily let go of Jay's hand as he turned to face her. Had she become so cynical that all drug users were tarnished with the same brush without knowing the full facts. The hurtful fact; she said it like Jay was a regular free baser, that _so_ wasn't the case. Kai shook his head, he knew he wouldn't be able to answer that honestly, yet he figured it must have been just before the party had started which would explain why he was so docile and unable to put up much of a fight.

Then of course, thinking about it; Kai hadn't given him a chance to fight back. He'd ruthlessly punched him in the gut, if only to get him to stay still long enough to find a good place to bite down. Goaded on by the girls surrounding him, he bit at the juncture near Jay's inner elbow. He shuddered as that memory came back. "I-I think he had some about 9pm last night."

"A few more hours then."

Joining hands again, he shuddered when he felt how ice cold Jay's hands were. "Wow, you're cold Jay, you need some heat, _huh_?" He said, placing both hands around Jay's, rubbing them gently to get the warmth going again. "His skin's cold and clammy, that normal?"

She nodded. "With the concoction he had in his blood, _completely_. We just need to keep his temperature up, keep him warm."

" _Why?_ Other than the obvious."

"He had higher than average antibodies in his blood a few hours ago, possible withdrawal, coupled with the stress he's endured would cause severe shock for anyone. It's either warm blanket therapy or hope that his temperature comes up on its own."

"Comes up?" He queried with a cocked eyebrow. "Why wouldn't it? I mean I know I'm not in the medical field, but whats the normal running temperature, for us guys?"

"Well, regardless of gender, it should be around 36.1 to 37.9 or 97 Fahrenheit to 99, but his has been slipping below 35 on occasion, warranting the use for the heat blanket being on permanently overnight."

"Haa wrapped up like a baby then?" Kai smirked, then simultaneously looked worried when the nurse didn't share his humour. Jay's hand was giving him chills, no matter how much heat he was giving in response. "So how long until he can sustain his own temperature?"

"Kai, there's nothing we've given him that would alter his own brain function to affect his temperature in this way. The sedation only focuses on the seizures."

"Oh, but his hand is warm on occasion." He argued, pulling the covers over Jay's exposed chest. "Don't want you getting a cold too."

"His core temperature is not, the temperature of his blood occasionally drops."

"Is that because of the stress then, or because he'd lost so much of it?"

"I'm sorry, I can't answer." She shrugged apologetically. "He is due blood cultures, hopefully the results from that will provide some clarity."

"You said yourself, he'd had a CT, that means he's okay up top, so what's with the temperature then?"

"I'm not sure, it's why the blanket remains on, even now. He should be able to sustain it though."

"And if he can't?"

"Then he won't be leaving." She stated flatly.

"Uh, s-sorry?" Kai frowned, rubbing his face in puzzlement. "Why not?"

Why did he get the feeling she didn't know, or she was keeping something from him?

"We can find out about his blood cultures, I'm sure everything will be explained later."

He pinched his eyebrows together. Kai wasn't one to show his softer emotions, but this week, up until last night had been a rollercoaster of emotional strain, and it had all culminated in the eventual finding and rescuing of Jay. Typically, they hadn't realised it was Jay that they had sunk their teeth into and nearly drained him in the process, and, before either could finish the task in hand; Kai had been the one to ask.

He, in effect, had saved Jay's life, though he'd nearly ended it too.

True; they'd nearly lost him last night. Zane and Lloyd's face was enough to let them know how bad it had been. It had been a close call, Jay hadn't been breathing for almost a full two minutes when the paddles were eventually applied and the ambubag placed.

* * *

"Please, you've gotta help him." Lloyd begged, legs shaking with adrenaline coursing through him.

 _"What's happened?" A doctor asked, looking downward at this non responsive male adult._

Lloyd's bloodied hands were waving everywhere in a wildly uncoordinated way, owing to extreme stress. "Isn't it fu**ing obvious?" He gaped standing back as the gurney was raced through to resus with himself and Zane in tow. "His heart's stopped and he's not breathing." He had to practically scream at them.

"Please, do something!" He shouted in desperation, watching as the trolley whizzed out of sight through twin closed doors.

"Zane?" He looked down in shock, hands shaking because he had nothing to do and he was starting to feel helpless once again. "I-I need to wash my hands." Lloyd said, voice cracking under the strain. "Need to wash... _blood_."

Zane looked at his blonde haired brother, he was trembling like a leaf. Heavily blood stained with drying sticky remnants of it between his fingers and nails. "I-I need to wash this off." He mumbled, repeating himself.

"Go and find a water closet," Zane ordered gently. "I shall stay outside the emergency room, I will not be far." He watched as Lloyd walked off in search of a restroom. It wouldn't be difficult, there were so many signposted, there was sure to be one nearby. And just like that, Zane was alone, sitting outside the ER,waiting for news waiting for Lloyd to return post haste, so he would not have to face this dilemma alone.

Zane could hear it all, such keen senses and an intellect to match, taking it all in, whilst knowing he would need to step in soon and just tell them what had happened. But he couldn't do it, he couldn't risk this dirty little secret that Santa Carla held dear. The secret that Santa Carla had been rife with the un-dead, though how far that actually stretched Zane was yet to find out.

It was Edgar who had mentioned werewolves being at city hall, amongst things like ghouls and other such creatures that made Zane's skin crawl. These were the only two boys who had known about this problem since they had become privy to it themselves. Edgar and Alan Frog, or the Frog brothers. And likely, neither of those would be believed if they muttered the V word. In Santa Carla, they were already thought of as rebellious kids with lackadaisical hippy parents, so the authorities and press, would rip them apart.

And, even if the police came round to the idea, there was no evidence to speak of. Last night the female vampires had mostly exploded, the matriarch had taken out the top floor when she exploded, and then the night before last, when they had slayed David and his brothers, the majority of evidence had all but been destroyed by the sun. There was no evidence, was there?

His cyan eyes widened. Of course, there was still David's body, it was the only one that hadn't exploded when it had been impaled, his body was oddly pristine. Zane thought about that for a moment. Maybe, as soon as Jay were to wake up, he might risk it and travel back to Donald's homestead to see if the body was still there. Least then, they would have something to present to the authorities.

He was dubious about it though. What if all traces of vampirism had vanished along with David's life? Then it would look like Zane and his brothers had killed an innocent man. Zane pinched the bridge of his nose, he wasn't sure how to broach this anymore, odds were quickly stacking up against him, tell the truth or tell a lie. His brother was in there being electrocuted, an attempt to restart his heart and he was out here trying to rationalise how best to answer their questions of how Jay got to be in such a state.

 _"CLEAR, shocking now."_

 _"We are struggling to stabilise him, does he have next of kin?"_

 _"You need to call them NOW, he's critical."_

He couldn't blank out the loud voices coming out of the room. Zane sat head in hands waiting for Lloyd to reappear. He hated to think that between them, they might have tipped the balance of control from bad to even worse what with the removal of vampires from the small city. Maybe, between them, they'd have a whole dangerous pack of wolves breathing down their necks. He hoped not, that would be another bout of counselling that Lloyd would have to endure.

 _"Sats are non existent, blood pressure is through the floor."_

 _"Internal bleeding?"_

 _"One milligram epinephrine every three minutes, get a line in."_

Lloyd had returned, he was head down pacing the floor wishing he could help yet knowing he couldn't do a damned thing. "Zane, w-we have to tell them..."

"TELL THEM WHAT?" Zane stared up at his younger brother, confliction on his face. "That vampires bit him, that this town is overrun with evil?"

"Just make something up, b-before it's too late." Lloyd slapped the wall in anger, turning his fierce green eyes at Zane. "B-before they cut him open to find he's just been sucked dry."

" _Just_!" Zane repeated, standing abruptly. "Right, make something up." He barged through the room, not in scrubs but then this room wasn't completely sterile anyway. "H-he's lost a lot of blood and we believe he was bitten by a wild animal. H-he has received a large dose of amphetamines, I do not know which chemical compound but judging by the puncture marks, injectible." He couldn't bring himself to say what had bitten him for fear of being sectioned. He received nods and was quickly escorted from the room.

 _"Get his blood cross matched, he needs a transfusion STAT!"_

* * *

When Kai, Cole and Nya had arrived he was already in the ICU. Lucky too that his blood group was widely available and not rare and Lloyd, Cole and Kai had offered to donate their own to sustain him , but this was a sure sign of his recovery going as planned. This was one thing that was quite literally out of their hands, in the expertise of those higher up. Kai knew they were right, Jay had been known to be stubborn before. He found it kind of humorous that Jay's body would be just as stubborn as his mind was. It figured really, this was something deeper, mind over matter. Kai could see it now, everything he had endured was written all over his body. He hadn't eaten, or drank nowhere near enough thus alluding to why he was in such a terrible state.

Something had kept him here or rather... _someone_.

"When do you think he'll be waking up?" Kai asked softly, eyes studying his brother's still form. He thought about the question and cringed when he realised he'd verbalised it. He wondered how many times a day the nurses got asked that sort of question, it was probably at least five times a day, maybe more. "Sorry," he mumbled. "You probably get asked that a lot, huh?"

"Yes," She gave a small sigh, a smile on her face as she spoke. "I doubt that he'll be waking in the next hour, or even in time for my handover, but he'll be waking up today, once the sedation has worn off."

"Okay, good to know." Kai looked back at his sleeping brother, then back at Cole, who was drooling. He stifled a yawn,trying his best to hide how bone tired he was. "How much sedative did you give him?"

"Enough to calm him down and stop the seizures. It was a necessity, so we could get some lines in and figure out what had happened to cause such wide spread damage."

"Right." Kai mumbled. "and uh, why's he so pale after he's had all this blood?"

"It takes a while for it to reach the skin. It means he'll retain this mottled hue for a little while longer. It'll fade eventually."

 _He looks like hell..._ _No, he looks like death._

The nurse looked at the spiky haired man. He seemed to be in a world of hurt himself. They both did, because both young men had broken down in here. Each looking forlorn as they took turns in watching their fallen brother fight his own battle from within. "Kai, why don't you and Cole go get a bite to eat. The cafeteria should be open around now, they have a full and plentiful breakfast on offer." She soothed.

Breakfast, something he hadn't had for a good few days, Cole had gone almost a full week without it, only surviving on saltine crackers and water.

"Cole, wake up buddy." He nudged gently. "You wanna go get a bite to eat? The nurse says he won't be waking up just yet, so we could all go down and eat?"

The master of earth rubbed his bleary eyes, straining them as he readjusted his vision to their surroundings.

Both ninja took a glance at Jay before they decided.

He was struggling again, attempting to cough with the forced air, until his hand shot up to grasp at the device that sought to provide the mixture of oxygen he was breathing in. The hand that had been next to Cole's sleeping head.

"WH-what's happening?" Cole said, shooting upright, standing next to Jay's shoulder in an instant to prevent him from pulling the airway from his mouth.

"No,"She said sternly. "It's alright. Just hold his hands down and I'll take it away. It's about time actually."

"H-he's alright then?" Cole inquired nervously.

"Yes, it's one of the first reflexes to return once sedation wear off, the ability to breath, the next is having full body control."

Cole nodded, finding it hard to hide the look of pure relief on his exhausted face. He took his place next to Jay as Kai watched on from the background, holding tight onto the door handle. He looked ready to shout out for help, having never seen Jay as helpless as he looked right now.

"So what's going on, why's he look like he's choking?" Kai asked, staring wide eyed as Jay struggled against Cole's firm grasp. His whole body was writhing as he tried but failed to rid his throat of the hard plastic tube.

"He _is_ choking Kai." Cole hissed, against the pain of static shocks that Jay was was subconsciously fighting him with. "Lucky he's so out of it, otherwise you'd have to step in and do this."

If Jay was more physically able he would have stunned Cole with his restrained power but the drugs were doing an excellent job of subduing his element enough for Cole to control the mini taser like shocks he was getting.

"You want me to take over?" Kai asked, watching as Cole received shock after shock.

"No, but when they take _that_ out you can restrain him." He chuckled, pointing his head down to the other device that was collecting fluid.

"Gross, really?"

"I'm joking."

"Fine time to joke, Cole." Kai grumbled.

"Sorry Kai. Look, Jay's gonna be awake when they take that out, okay?" Cole looked at his sleeping brother in sympathy. "And I don't think he'll want anyone around for that, not even Nya. Sometimes these things are too private to have an audience."

"The sedation is wearing off and just in time too." The nurse looked relieved as she un-taped the mouth piece. "He's trying to breathe for himself." She replied calmly despite how tense the two men seemed before her. Quickly and effortlessly, she placed Jay's hand down whilst looking at Cole for some assistance. He obliged, holding both hands firm as the nurse began to pull the endo-tracheal tube from Jay's mouth and throat, she pulled it gently, in one precise swift movement.

Kai gulped when he saw it. "Ugh, how long was that thing?"

"Long enough." She replied.

Cole looked away, but held firm onto Jay's hand as the master of lightning took some shaky first gulps of air. The exertion of it must have felt like he was dreaming and drowning, gasping for air. And after what felt like an eternity, that lasted no more than thirty seconds, Jay's breathing was slowing. "You're doing really well. This is the first step to recovery, being able to breathe on your own."

His heart rate settled and his breathing pattern resumed, much to Kai's relief too. "That, was a little bit stressful."

"A little?" Zane smiled from the doorway.

"Honestly Kai, you would've been useless in the E.R." Lloyd smirked, appearing next to Zane with a hugely relieved look upon his face. "Well, gotta say it, he's looking better already."

"Thankfully." Zane nodded. "Better than last night"

"Honestly you four." The nurse smiled. "Seriously, go and get something to eat. You never know he might be starting to wake when you get back up here."

* * *

 _ **MoC- They both feel like garbage, and like you've said; I'm sure Cole feels it worse. Honestly, this would cause some serious PTSD, which is quite handy because the second to last chapter has that title.**_

 _ **And, Guest, you are indeed right, Cole is more than likely going to be that overprotective big brother now.**_

 _ **RandomDragon - Hey guys, don't blame yourselves...blame Cole...he's the one that left Jay. Poor blue bird, he was only watching out for his best friend.**_

 _ **Morro &Jaylynn - Thanks **_


	47. Awakening

**(Athlete - wires) A perfectly poignant song to accompany this chapter.**

 **RandomDragon - Cole, you can relax now...Loki will spare you for now (Though on my main story, I enjoy torturing you almost as much as do with Jay.)**

 **MoC - Why thankyou. It was a tense chapter but he is on the mend.**

 **Willow - Glad you enjoyed.**

* * *

This was a stark white hospital room, where four young bedraggled men were gathered around a metal railed bed. It looked more like a scene from a misty eyed romantic drama that was coming to its pained and dramatic end as one of the lovable characters was losing his battle with a lifelong illness. Kai's costumed attire was ripped, revealing his chest, blood stains on his torso that wasn't his own. Cole's white shirted new romantic shirt and trousers had jagged slash marks running across the back and sides. Again, no actual wounds to speak of because each injury acquired had healed before they killed the Widow. Lloyd and Zane were in their regular clothes, consisting of bloodied hoodies and stained board shorts, with dirtied up deck shoes, courtesy of Jay's blood splatters all over them.

It couldn't have been further from the truth. Jay was thriving, surpassing medical expectations by the hour. This was both perplexing, but encouraging nonetheless.

For all intents and purposes; this scene was far better in relation to a final and dramatic death scene.

For starters; he wasn't dying anymore. Passing each medical state with a new thing returning every few hours. Jay wasn't critical, nor stable, or satisfactory. Now, the master of lightning was progressing well. And, at this rate if he carried on improving, he'd be looking at discharge tomorrow.

Then secondly; there was an insurmountable feeling of relief in the air. This was mostly shared amongst the gathered men as they embraced, accepting the blame between themselves as a whole rather than separate. Truthfully, this group apology had been a long time coming, especially so after a night of uncertainty and turmoil, the night before had threatened to tear their team asunder. It was just a shame that Jay had to undergo defibrillation, resuscitation and ventilation to make them all realise how close they had been to falling apart as a team.

And, surprisingly, the relief _wasn't_ just felt by the team who stood around the auburn haired male laying somewhat still in the bed. It was shown on the face of the nurse, the one who had seen him come in this room with so many wires and tubes attached. The relief was seen on her face as she continued to smile, writing up her care evaluation.

"Morning guys." Her voice was cracked with emotion. So much so, that it had gently disrupted the team embrace as all four men looked for the source of the heartbroken sound.

Both weary eyed brothers who had spent the night in here with him had turned at her voice.

"I can take over now." She mouthed gently, and the room in all it's enclosed space only served to amplify the broken sound. "Please."

He could tell she was highly emotional, he didn't blame her either. Nya wouldn't look him in the eyes and he was her sister, her only blood relative. "You sure Nya? You look just as beat as we are?" Kai stated, stoically, not wanting to offend but hoping that she'd see reason.

Cole didn't dare say the same thing, he valued his life too much. Plus; he hadn't spoken to her since last night, and the look she gave him then had cut him to the core. "We were about to come and get you, we were thinking we could all do with a drink, _bite_ to eat."

Of course saying **_bite_ ** was quite possibly the wrong thing to say as her teary eyes almost burned him to the spot.

Cole recoiled slightly, straightening up whilst not wanting to say another word.

 _"Dude, wrong choice of words.._." Kai whispered under his breath.

Kai didn't get an answer either. He at least expected some facial expression, a glare, like the type Cole was receiving... _anything_!

For once in her life, Nya didn't give Kai the stink eye either. She had graciously moved into the room, passing Zane and Lloyd in the process. She said nothing, because she couldn't think of anything nice to say, so she remained resolute in the age old adage that, 'if you couldn't say anything nice don't say anything at all'.

In her eyes, none of them had truly believed her order of events anyway. _**None of them.**_

The night she mentioned she'd seen him, her own brother wouldn't let her leave the house. He was adamant that Jay would be okay. But yet she knew that he was sceptical about the whole thing, because the very next day, when Zane and Kai went to the video store to ask of his whereabouts, there was no sign of Jay, nothing that night either.

And how she wished Kai had let her go and pick Jay up. Even if had meant sitting outside the store for two hours, she would have done it, rather than see this.

Jay had almost begged, pleaded for her not to forget to pick him up, as if he knew something wasn't right. That particular evening was when Nya could see the desperation in his fading blue eyes. Foolishly, she thought it was his head injury, how was she to know it was something more sinister? That was the last night she had seen him standing, before they parted ways, she kissed him so hard, almost as if it was their last kiss.

A kiss she wished she could give him now.

Shaking her head again, chastising herself. Nya knew she was being too hard on them, on all of them. She looked at her long term boyfriend, Jay wouldn't want this. He wouldn't want them to tear themselves up over this.

Her face softened slightly as she took her place next to the bed. Sore teary eyes looked up briefly and then back to the aurbun haired man, who looked as mottled as a dapple grey horse. The only difference in the colour scheme, Jay's un-bandaged areas revealed sickly green bruises. They really had done a number on him, and right there below the sternum was a non mistaken fist shaped bruise, purple as the juice of a blackberry.

She bit her lip again, she wouldn't cry. She had done all of her sobbing a few hours ago. She wasn't sure she had the energy to give anymore. Last night she was inconsolable, her only shoulder to cry on was Misako's because she couldn't be in the same room as Kai and Cole, not after what they had divulged.

Laying her eyes on Jay through the door of this room was a vision she would likely take to her grave. The image of him, wired and bandaged, in a critical state.

It should have been enough that he was alive, that despite it all, he was surviving this ordeal.

The room fell into an awkward silence once more. The tension still there, thick enough to cut with a knife, until Zane placed his hand on Nya's shoulder, making the poor girl jump out of her skin. "Nya?" Zane soothed. "But you must eat."

Cole's face had further paled at the words that issued from Zane's mouth as a cold sweat came over him. True, they were but words, the only issue was that David had said exactly the same yet with a blood soaked face.

"I'm fine." She snapped, pulling away from Zane. Then, realising what she had done, Nya hung her head in shame.

"Hey Nya," Kai stood forward of his blonde haired brother. "We're not _forcing_ you to do anything..."

His tone wasn't helping matters and Zane stepped in, holding him back somewhat from getting too close or confrontational. "Kai," He shook his head slowly. "Come on."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to..." Nya started, unable to find the words.

Her own brother could sense she was trying to apologise. She had nothing to be sorry about, neither did Jay and yet they were the only real ones suffering in all of this. "We were about to go get something to eat, you want to come with us?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head as he turned to look back at Jay.

The lightning master looked so serene in his blue sheets. He was the cleanest of the lot in his hospital issued pj bottoms, only a messy bed head of unruly auburn curls that lay head atop two white pillow cases made him look untidy. He'd been the unfortunate recipient of a full bed bath prior to arriving in this room, it was inevitable, he was soaked with blood and other bodily fluids.

"No," she shook her head with some stubborness. "I'll stay with him, you go, you've been in here all night." She squeezed past, taking Cole's warm place by Jay's bedside.

"You have too," Lloyd countered. "You sure you don't want to come with?"

"I'm not leaving him alone." She was vehement in her decision, her tone sharp.

"He won't be alone, I'm here until 07:30, then we give handover." The nurse stated clearly.

Nya knew the nurse had a point, but she hoped that the same nurse would also understand she wanted to be a familiar face to Jay, if he was to wake up as soon as was thought. "No," She said again. "It's okay. If anything changes, I'll send Misako up?"

Lloyd thought about it, he nodded slowly. He couldn't sway her decision, if Kai couldn't get through to her, then neither could anyone else. She needed this time with him, he could see this now.

"We'll bring you something down then, a drink of coffee too." Cole stated, squeezing around the bed to get to Jay's side. It wasn't a question either, Cole was going to do it anyway.

"Sure sis," Kai walked to Jay's bedside. "Thanks." He mumbled before leaning down to Jay's level. "See ya in a bit bro, don't get any ideas with my sister." He joked, stroking Jay's upper arm gently.

"Come on Kai," Cole nodded his head, motioning Kai to move. "Nya, we'll be back in less than a hour," he added, ticking the underside of Jay's foot to check for a reflex.

Nothing.

Slowly and quietly they filtered from the room, leaving only Nya, the nurse and Jay.

Silence, other than the blood pressure machine inflating.

Jay was still in the same position, not quite lying down. He was in a sitting up position, quite odd Nya thought to sleep like that. Then she figured it was because he was unable to move himself. The mattress seemed to be doing that for him, it was remarkable really, a pressure sore was the last thing he needed.

* * *

"Morning sleeping beauty." She said softly, cleansing his face with a warm damp cloth. Following the routine with towel drying his face as gently as she could. She combed his hair and leaned in over him to place a kiss on his cheek. "Sleep well, hmm?"

He had turned to her voice, a relieved smile though his eyes were closed.

The nurse was quick to notice. Not specifically the movement exhibited, but rather the slight increase in his pulse. "Well," she said with a smug grin, "he certainly knows who you are."

A genuine smile on the nurses tired face. "He might wake up sooner than expected at this rate."

Nya was hopeful. Desperate to see his blue eyes bursting with that same energy and playfulness again. To see that look of boyish charm on his face as he always tried to impress her. "I'm happy to see that machine isn't attached anymore."

"I know, most people don't like seeing the ventilator. They see it as a finality, rather than an aid to stabilise."

"And what about the drips?"

"They'll be taken down today, once he's awake and able to feed himself."

"Are you thinking they'll be any problems?"

"No, he's only weak because he hasn't eaten."

"How do you know he hasn't eaten?"

"Ketones in his urine, his body was surviving on stored fats in the liver."

"Oh, r-right."

"It just means he'll need to take it easy. We're not expecting any issues though, so it stands to reason, that once he's had food; he'll perk right up."

"And, when do you think he'll be fit enough to leave?"

"Tomorrow. It was touch and go there for a while, but he's surpassing those expectations by the hour."

"That's not a bad thing is it?"

"No." The nurse shook her head. "It's relieving to have some patients that break the mold of what the medical team think will happen, to beat those insurmountable odds placed against them."

"Why do they do that though, surely each should be on a case by case basis?"

The nurse shrugged, closing her book for her shift. "Years of study and research trials have told us that severe blood loss leads to irreversible damage within minutes. It's inevitable, the brain is affected, followed by system wide organ failure and then death."

"How much blood did he lose?"

The nurse found it difficult to answer because to say it out loud went beyond what she had been taught at med school. It wasn't at all believable nor possible, she was looking at a miracle in her midst. "He lost almost five units. Like I said, impossible, but here he is, beating those odds. I'd call it a miracle."

Nya frowned slightly, still holding firm onto his hand. It was cold and clammy again. "Well, he's young and healthy," she argued, looking at his smiling face. "Aren't you Jay?"

 _Jay shouldn't have survived, anymore than four units is fatal._

"Well, he is one of the luckier ones. Others haven't been nearly as fortunate, some are still fighting." And they would remain on the ventilator for as long as the families were willing to pay the insurance. Always hoping that their loved one would wake soon. "It'll just take time, these things often do."

"Oh Jay..." It hit her like a blow to the gut. A heart shattering punch that made her hug him that little bit tighter, least to calm the shakes that wracked her body at how close she'd been to losing him. It was true, the medical team told had them that Jay's chance of survival was incredibly low. Even as they pumped blood into him at an astonishing rate to prevent more damage to his already failing organs, his chance of waking up was diminishing by the hour.

And only now did she look upon his face. The face who had been through so much crap in the past week. She could only hope that his mind had stayed strong despite it all, that he had never wanted to give wouldn't have held it against him if he had.

"W..."

Her eyes shot back to Jay. His mouth was moving, his bandaged arm reaching for something out of his grasp. Was he finally trying to speak, to verbalise something?

"Wa..." He croaked out, barely audible with his painfully dry throat. His voice cracked and strained, a good few octaves deeper than was normal for him. "W-water..."

Nya had stood and reached for the jug and tumbler, pouring it with shaking hands before turning to look at the nurse with a level of uncertainty as to Jay's strength. "Can he drink?" She asked, beaker of water in trembling hand.

The nurse popped a straw in. "Let him wake up a little more, he needs to open his eyes."

"N-Nya..." Jay's eyes had slowly opened. "W-water." He hacked loudly, clearing his throat as was expected for being intubated the entire night.

Her eyes had widened, tears rolled down her face, she struggled to keep her emotions contained anymore. He was awake, this after the night from hell. The night when his survival was said to be less than a 50% chance of survival.

"He can have mouth care though." She offered, passing Nya a small plastic tray with foam lollipop sticks. "Just fill it with water and dab it onto his lips. I'll notify the consultant of his current progress." She handed Nya the call bell and gave the same directions, she had with Kai and Cole before promptly leaving the room.

* * *

The hairs standing up on the back of her neck as she took in his smile. His beautiful face. No signs of sadness there anymore.

"JAY!" She squealed, gently wrapping her arms around him, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. "Y-you're awake?"

"I th-think so," he chuckled, grasping his stomach painfully. His wounds stinging slightly as if he was noticing them for the first time. "A sight f-for sore eyes, N-Nya."

"A good way I hope," Nya smiled, finally releasing him. "I missed you, we were all so worried."

He tried to pull his right hand up to rub his eyes, least to see better. Only to find that the thing was heavily bandaged. He didn't want to think about that, he knew what lay beneath the bandages, a huge bite mark and a shit load of others too.

Looking around carefully, like looking through new eyes, Jay saw empty IV bags attached to his thigh. Other fluid bags attached to his foot and the feeling of a warm rubber tube attached to his inner thigh.

He cringed, remembering when Cole had one too. Yeah, it was all part and parcel of being at deaths door and unresponsive.

Tentatively, Jay flexed his toes and ankles. Relieved that he could move his body again. Something the vampires had given him yesterday had prevented him from doing much, other than breathing. And the power of the drug was further exacerbated when most of his blood was removed, it increased the potency of whatever they had given him.

Dare he mention Nicole, he wanted to know if she was okay after all this. He'd never got a proper chance to thank her. Technically, her vampire blood was the last thing he'd consumed. Pushing Nicole and that whole painful experience to the back of his mind, he focused on Nya.

Nya was the first to notice that Jay's temperature was impossibly cold. Not because she was holding his hand but because the alarm had sounded and the heat blanket came back on again.

He shivered. Smiling at her as she attempted to warm him. "I kn-know Kai was here earlier." Jay mumbled. "His hands were so much warmer." He laughed softly, wincing again.

"You want me to turn the air con off?" She asked, her expression gentle, understanding.

It was warm in the room as it was, still she obliged when Jay nodded.

"Before you go and get the guys, can I have something fr-from you?" Jay asked, face as cheeky as ever.

"Sure, fire away."

"A kiss, like the one you gave me a few days ago." His eyebrow rose testing her.

She shook her head. "You haven't eaten for days, you probably haven't brushed your teeth either. No." She said with a sad smile. "I'll kiss your head instead, we can make up for it later."

"Fair do's," he said, lowering his head. Feeling as her soft lips kissed his forehead again, the initial kiss that had woken him. "I missed you Nya, so freaking much."


	48. Chapter 48

**RandomDragon - I like the story you posted, so tell me: when are you going to set up an account on here?**

 **MoC - Nya was distraught (said in the voice of Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter) Lol.**

 **MNC - MiLady, one thanks you for your reviews too. Glad your NaNoWrMo novel was completed. You did superb, and yes, one will have to have a cabinet meeting with you, to discuss your election details for taking on the current mayor and their cronies.**

* * *

Typically the four guys had eaten a half decent breakfast once they had been tempted by all that was on offer. Sure, they'd been led to believe that hospital food was gross and they had been reluctant to sit down and have a small meal, instead possibly favouring the multitude of vending machines they'd passed by on their way down here. But, once they had arrived and seen the variety on offer and the fact there was no line in front of them, two of them weren't seen for dust.

Cole and Kai were eagerly filling up their plates, with as much as they could stack. Literally as much as their plates would hold. Neither questioning the other as to how much they were piling on.

Finally seated and tucking into their feasts, Cole had the freshly baked pastries, grouped with eggs over easy, a generous helping of hash browns and French toast, with lashings of cream, drizzled with maple syrup. Lloyd, having eaten last night, had no real appetite he'd just opted for limp toast. Typically a nervous apprehension to to the 'what if's' was rife in places like this and it always affected the appetite.

"What?" Cole said, looking at Lloyd and Zane's expression as both sat with coffee and toast, neither eating or drinking. "So sue me, I haven't eaten food for almost a week." He said, scarfing down the food whilst it was still hot.

"I'm not." Kai gulped down his food, wincing as the drink was too hot, even for him. "I'm not saying anything."

Cole wasn't looking at Kai, his brown eyes were locked on Lloyd's as the latter remained resolute and silent. And, for a few seconds he could've sworn that there was a hint of annoyance residing in Lloyd's semi cold stare. Though it was true, green machine hadn't really uttered all that much to him since after the vampire cave event. He barely spoke yesterday, he hadn't left the house except to stay with Zane when it was time for the party.

And now, that both himself and Kai were fully healed of their affliction, Lloyd's partial animosity was lingering like a bad fart. "You forgive me right? Not still holding it against me are ya, you know for the whole trying to suck your blood?"

"I've forgiven you." Lloyd said, flatly. Some partial truth to it. "Just glad to see you both eating."

Cole raised an eyebrow.

"To be fair, Cole," Zane mumbled, cutting the awkward silence, keeping his voice down with the half asleep visitors and staff who were milling around choosing their food. "I was getting worried about your food intake, or lack thereof."

"Was that why you got me, uhm I mean _us_ the saline?" Cole asked.

Kai's eyes wandered upwards to take more notice in the subdued conversation, noting that Zane and Cole had both lowered their voices to avoid them being overhead. The last thing they needed was to rouse suspicion within the hospital relating to missing medication. "So," Kai cleared his throat. "Where did you get that stuff anyway?"

"Where do you think?" Zane teased, taking a sip of strong black tea.

Kai shrugged, getting closer across the table. "Here?"

"Doofus." Lloyd commented, shaking his head with a smirk. "The security on this place is tighter than a ducks ass."

Zane had narrowed his eyes in mock disgust. "Whilst that may be true Lloyd, I am not that reckless." Giving a cocky smile before leaning in. "Actually, the saline was acquired from Edgar Frog, you would be surprised as to how deceptive those two are."

"What?" Both Cole and Kai gasped in unison.

"He's right," Lloyd nodded. "Couple of dark horses, those two."

"Alan briefly mentioned something about salt water being the closest substitute for blood. Though, I attest, I am not so sure of the accuracy of that claim. Edgar then assured that Saline was the better alternative, I somewhat agreed based on the fact that I know of its properties within the medical field and the composition within each 1000ml bag. It is of course used to replenish lost fluids, or to increase the blood volume, to counteract the signs of dehydration."

Lloyd had lost interest, he was doggedly eating a piece of chewy toast, having let it go cold before spreading it with butter.

"Well, thanks Z." Cole added, smiling gratefully as his loaded fork made its way back into his mouth, followed by a sinful groan.

"Yeah, thanks Zane," Kai added. "It gave us the energy we needed to take out the psycho bitch from hell last night."

"Then I am glad I was able to offer you some assistance with your vampire afflictions. By way of the Frog brothers, I mean."

"Speaking of el vampiro bitch, you took her out last didn't ya?" Lloyd queried.

Kai frowned as he looked at Cole. "No, why?"

"Well, Eddie say's the last vampire alive becomes the head vampire." he shrugged. "Kinda obvious, survival instincts and all that!"

The two ninja shared a wary look. The last one they took out was Nicole and to Cole, she sure as hell didn't look like the type of vampire that would purposefully curse someone with the same affliction. She seemed so remorseful when he'd reluctantly rammed the stake through her chest.

"No problems though, I mean, they're all dead." Kai stated, loosely shrugging his shoulders. "Even the morgue would have difficulty identifying them now."

"I mean, I don't think there's an issue with that though, ya know if you killed em all." Lloyd mumbled. "Ha, as long as no one drank her blood."

"Nah, she didn't seem the type." Cole added.

A few minutes later and after the young men had eaten their fill of moderately bland tasting hospital food. They slowly made their way up to ICU. Kai was carrying a dual cup holder with two polystyrene cups, filled with coffee and creamer, the odd few sachets of sugar squeezed between his fingers.

Cole had taken the responsibility of carrying the foodstuffs, like no one else could be trusted to carry such important things, he took that on himself. "Shall we go see if he's woken up yet?"

Lloyd shook his head from his position at the front. "No, I think we need to check in on Mom, she needs to know what's going on."

Cole held a small folded brown bag, it was firmly in his hand, whilst his spiky haired brother to his side was carrying a couple of hot drinks in a card cup carrier.

Finally seeing the greying woman sitting alone on a row of plastic seats the quartet approached with said beverages and refreshments.

Kai took the lead and bent down to pass the hot caffeine energy drink to Lloyd's mother. Having heard the tail end of her discussion with a healthcare assistant. "Well, he's doing much better now though," he argued, passing one cup to Misako, keeping one back for his sister Nya which he placed on the next chair. "Off the ventilator and everything."

" _I know_ ," Misako said in a sarcastic tone, a delicate laugh ensued as she took the hot drink. "You boys do realise I'm not _completely_ clueless out here?"

All four gathered young men looked sheepish, not one of them had thought to keep her in the loop with regards to Jay's medical prognosis or his current state.

"The nurse came and told me." She finished, having left them hanging.

"Actually, more like you accosted her?" Lloyd interjected, playfully.

"I'm a mother," She shrugged. "It's in my nature to get the required info. Anyway, I'd been given the basics then told he could have a few more visitors because his medical state has progressed."

Lloyd nodded with that set of events, he had actually been speaking with Nya, consoling her. "Which is why me and Zane went to see them, to see how he was doing."

"Personally, I think it was because you two didn't believe her?" She said, taking a small sip, cringing at the bitter taste within. "So you went to see for yourself. I know how it is son, these places aren't easy to stomach, especially when you lose someone and see everything continuing around you." The words she spoke seemed to come from within, as if she'd experienced this heartache before.

"Boys?" She said, finally standing up to stretch her legs. "I will be speaking to the medical staff when they finish the doctors rounds. See where he stands."

Cole's face brightened slightly. "You mean, to see when he'll be discharged or sent to another ward?"

"Sort of." Misako semi nodded, cocking her head to the side. "The nurse seems to think tomorrow, considering he's wide awake now."

"WHAT? H-he's awake?" Kai and Cole almost said in unison, thankfully neither of them had a hot drink in their hands.

"Yes boys, he's awake. Though he's showing signs of confusion and agitation but it's all completely normal." She smiled, finally knowing something they didn't and all because they'd left to go fill their stomach's somewhat. Misako had been told because of Nya's rather excited reaction from within the room. Then inquisition came in as she too poked her head around the door to see for herself.

"Normal for what?" Lloyd asked.

"For a drug induced coma." Zane replied softly. "They had to sedate him with propofol and fentanyl. They all have side effects, aggression and agitation being the main ones."

"How do you know so much Z?"

Zane shrugged his shoulders loosely. "I like to research things, to know as much as I can. Plus, it helps me to analyse things such as these."

"So can we go in and see him?" Cole asked, looking down the corridor to see the blinds closed on Jay's private room, giving complete privacy. Nya was standing outside, back against the wall.

"Not right at this minute you can't, he's having a procedure done. He didn't want Nya in there either."

Cole cringed, he had a feeling he knew what is was going to be. "Oh, right, so the doctor's are in there too?"

"They're discussing the proposed plan of action."

Suddenly, the door swung inwards and the new nurse on shift poked her head out. She looked fresh faced. Not a hair out of place or a crease on her scrubs. "He's asking for Kai?" She said, looking slightly embarrassed because she didn't know who was who. Anyone of the gathered young men, in her eyes could pass for a Kai.

It was a huge boost to his ego, and the spiky haired master of fire stood quickly. "He wants me?" He swallowed nervously, taking in Nya's smile as something positive.

"Nya, we bought you something to eat and a hot drink." He said as he passed, squeezing her upper arm gently. "Please, you need to eat something."

She nodded. "Thanks Kai, I'll be out here when you've finished."

* * *

Kai had walked in and the nurse was nowhere to be seen. Evidently the doctors had left and were busy discussing his transfer down to another acute ward, arguing if it was completely necessary considering how fast his recovery was going. He was quick to notice a god awful cold breeze whipping through the room. His eyes searching for the source of the draft as the window appeared to be closed.

"K-Kai." Jay mumbled, shivering uncontrollably. "Y-you miss me?" He smiled, revealing purpley blue lips.

"Jay," Kai smiled, rushing to the side of the bed to wrap his arms around his auburn haired brother. A few seconds passed before either could think of releasing the tight embrace as no words were spoken. It was only then that Kai realised.

"You feel so cold."

Jay groaned miserably. "I have been since you left earlier."

"Y-you knew I was here?" He asked, speechless.

He nodded slowly. "I could hear you ya know. I wasn't completely out of it, despite what they might have told ya." He shivered again.

"You okay? Other than being in pain and having your blood sucked and nearly dying last night, and..."

"Kai," Jay interrupted. "They aren't gonna let me leave this place unless I can keep my temperature up, ya know in the normal range."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? Obviously I know what that is now, but..."

"I'm so cold," Jay pleaded. He was wrapped up in blankets.

"Y-you want me to warm you up buddy?" Kai asked, laughing softly as he stood up to share some of his element with his ill brother.

"Could you?"

"Of course, if it helps get you outta here faster." Kai smirked wrapping his arms back around Jay. Heating him up until he was toasty warm, verging on feverish. "We missed you Jay, No-one of truly believed that you were gone." Kai bit his lip, hoping that Jay wouldn't see through his fib. He had been first to think that Jay had perished when Cole admitted to abandoning him.

"Thanks," Jay said, unable to think of anything else to utter. To him, this was like waking up from a deep sleep and being told of certain events that had happened and he was expected to nod and believe them all. Certainly, Jay could remember parts pertaining to Max and Ms Johnson, they were poignantly disturbing. Then there were visions that swam into his mind of the other now dead female vampires. Then there was the night of the supposed turning, that was when everything became blank. His mind either didn't want to remember it or he'd simply lost those few hours. "I missed you guys _too_."

"Jay," Kai mumbled, slowly releasing the embrace.

"The other vampires?" Jay asked, trembling slightly in fear; for mentioning them might bring them about again. It was easy to see why he feared them so much, the evidence of their feasting was all over his bruised skin. "Are they dead?" He whispered into the crook of Kai's neck.

"Yeah, we took care of them last night. There aint no coming back from that."

Jay released a sigh, pure comfort, then a yawn that came out of nowhere. Kai figured it was the heat he was exuding into the block of ice that was his brother in literal blue.

"I know of someone else, who missed you like crazy too. Someone who hasn't forgiven himself, and likely never will."

"Cole." Jay smiled. "Is he alright?" He'd never get that image from his mind. The face of a trance induced Cole as he let go of a perfectly good metal bridge to glide through the air without any folding wings. At least Jay had done it with a contraption on his back. Cole had done it because of some stupid trust fall. "I was worried that he was hurt."

"Cole's fine. Gotta say though, when Nya told us, we all found it a bit hard to accept."

Jay nodded. "I know how stupid it sounds."

"But Cole told us the truth, eventually. You want me to go get him?" Kai raised an eyebrow, standing back slightly to observe the tint of pink on Jay's face.

Jay nodded. "Yeah, send him in, send them all in." he grinned widely. "Just don't take too long, this room gets cold."

Only when the room was free of staff and other such ninja did a hollow voice trickle down to Jay. Just like it did on the bridge that night. "You don't know do you?"

Jay closed his eyes, biting back the words he wanted to shout at Morro for nearly ruining his and Cole's lives.

"And you won't, not until it's too late."

* * *

 ** _A couple of days later._**

"N-NO, no, stop, get off of me, no!" His thrashing around had woken him mid evening. Covered in a fine sheen of sweat again. Jay was just laying in the bed, staring at the old ceiling fan as it span slowly on its creaking bearings. He waited for his breathing to abate, for his pulse to stop racing. "J-just a bad dream...Jay."

"It was, ju-just a dream?" He mumbled, rubbing his bleary eyes and holding his arms out to reach for the lamp which inadvertently fell to the floor.

Ignoring the lamp and the pitch black of the room, he looked down upon his arms, seeing the same clean white dressings still adorning his skin. "Ugh, I-I feel like shit."

Jay stumbled to the wall and saw the light switch. Flicking it on and wincing with the brightness, he saw a jug and brown glass tumbler of water waiting for him on the dresser. "What time is it?" He sighed heavily as he looked at the old alarm clock on his night stand. "Seven pm, mmm, almost time to get ready." He yawned and stretched. Looking back at the bed whilst missing the warmth already. He took the offered drink again and drank the contents but seemed frozen, unable to move any further.

The loud thud had woken Cole in an instant and he sat up in a daze, squinting in the darkness. At least when he was half vampire; his eyesight was enhanced somewhat. "Why you up, Jay?" Cole mumbled from his bed at the side of Jay's. "Having trouble sleeping aren't ya?"

Jay didn't say anything. He wasn't aware that Cole was in the same room as him anymore.

"Come on, turn the light off and get back into bed," he soothed, waiting for his recovering lightning brother to react.

It wasn't working, Jay was still frozen, rooted to the spot in fear.

Cole leaped out of bed in a heartbeat when he saw Jay trembling with his hand hovering over the switch. He had joined Jay's side in an instant. Gently, he placed his hand on Jay's shoulder and the lightning master tensed up in response. "Come back to bed, you're not well."

"I-I can't..."

"Come on, you're safe now," Cole soothed, "-come back to bed. We need to change those dressings too," he said, pointing, but not touching them.

It was sad to behold. And if they had listened to Nicole's warning about holding the Widow Johnson captive for a few more hours, Jay would have recovered normally. This prolonged healing state was because they had killed the matriarch before Jay could recover from his wounds. It meant he had to be hospitalised for blood loss alone, then stitches from a stab wound and a temperature that refused to stay above above 36 degrees Centigrade.

Reluctantly, Jay had done what Cole had requested. He said nothing, just returned to his bed and sat on it, flopping onto his side and away from Cole. The light had remained on too. "I can't get her face out of my head, Cole," Jay said, his voice close to breaking.

His bottom lip firmed as much as it could. To Cole, it looked like Jay was biting his lip to avoid crying. Preventing those built up emotions from spilling over.

"Jay, "Cole soothed again, now directly in front and in his line of sight, "You're safe now." He reiterated, gently stroking Jay's hair from his eyes. Trying his hardest to ignore the cold touch of his brothers forehead when his fingers has grazed across his skin. Then, he waited for Jay to give the go ahead. For the master of lightning to loosen his grasp on his dressing gown so Cole could get at the dressings. Even for Jay to talk like he used to, to say something other than one or two syllables. To open up, to be himself again.

" _Jay!_ "

It felt like an eternity that he waited for Jay to unfurl his white knuckled fists. He was suffering, with some sort of post traumatic stress disorder. The staff at the hospital said as much, though they were quick to discharge him with anti depressants.

Jay stared despondently at the ceiling fan. His breathing becoming more shallow as he calmed himself down. "Her face, Cole," his hands were clenched by his side as he turned onto his back.

The master of earth couldn't think of what to say. Other than the fact that him and his brothers, along with the Frog brothers had taken care of David and Max and the house of hell that Jay had been holed up in. 'Taking care of' being the operative word. They were dead, as dead as could be. When had Cole opened Jay's dressing gown he bit his lip again, he'd never get used to this, to seeing Jay like this.

A plus side, Cole noted that the wounds were all healing up. The dressings on his arms had been removed, there was no point in covering healing skin anymore,it just needed air and sunlight, all that remained were puncture bruises that followed the veins of his arms right up to his shoulders. Further downwards he had a dressing over his manhood that Jay was attempting to hide, and then were his legs. His legs looked even worse, like he'd been scratching them. "Looks like you had a bit of a time there, huh?" Cole grimaced as he removed the dressing from Jay's neck. He'd expected Jay to at least clench up but he remained motionless and staring into space.

He stared at it, a perfect imprint of his own teeth on Jay's fair skin. Hand shaped bruise that had been so close to strangling him as he was bound and gagged. Cole couldn't bare to look at it, he was the person who had done it, going back in for a second helping. It was more luck than anything that Cole hadn't flat out ripped Jay's throat with how ravenous he'd become.

Gently, wiping it down with a sterile water sachet, Cole placed a fresh dressing over Jay's ice cold skin, patting the sides gently. "All better? Uhm, y-you want me to do..." He used his head to point to Jay's groin but Jay looked away shamefully.

"No, I-I can do it." He said, voice shaky as he attempted to sit up.

Back to Cole, he grabbed the dressing and sachet of water before redressing his own intimate wound. Covering himself again wrapping his arms around himself tighter than before.

"Talk to me, _please_." Cole sighed, from his position on the floor. "I don't want you to feel that you can't talk about it because you can, and you must."

Jay's head dropped forwards. The doctor had told him the same, told him to let it out. If he kept it all in, he'd just end up on a lonely path to self help groups and a future of addictive things that would hinder rather than help.

"Her face, Cole," Jay turned slightly. He could see Cole's hair, the bushy eyebrows and kind caring face of his best friend. "She wanted me to believe that she'd turn me too. But, Nicole told me what she had planned."

"I'm so sorry Jay," Cole mouthed gently, replacing the dressing on his inner elbow with a fresh sterile one. He could see the tourniquet damage from extended drug use, evidence of it was all over his arms. "Nicole told us that much too, mind games huh?"

"They tried to get me hooked on something or other, they thought I wouldn't remember what they did down in their basement." He shivered again, slightly adjusting to his lower body temperature. "Blood thirsty whores, I guess I can say I believe in vampires now huh?"

"Yeah," Cole agreed, shaking his head in sympathy, mostly for what he saw when he took on the whole nest of female vamps. They were more insane than a bag full of cats and accompanying cat lady.

"You were lucky," Jay said, as the tear finally fell from his eye, the incredible warmth and feeling of it, soon made way for the damn to burst open. "You never saw her true form did ya?"

Cole shook his head but continued to dress the wounds that required the most treatment. "What did she use on you?" He asked, removing the left dressing nearest his liver, one that the hospital hadn't really commented on because it wasn't too deep to warrant concern.

Jay turned away, "You don't need to know that," he wiped his face, "In fact, it's better you don't."

It was far too horrific to mention. So he knew he never would. A scene from a horror movie would be laughable now, he would happily sit in an auditorium and laugh at the most horrific gore because of what she made him suffer. "Don't worry about it," he said, realising that Cole had finished. Turning his back again, he cautiously sat up and grabbed his meds, swallowed the tablets and accompanying water. Laying back carefully with a slight wince as he did so.

Cole bit his bottom lip, he joined Jay on the bed and simply lay there. "I admire your strength and determination," he whispered. "You held your own, without giving in to her, that takes courage, bro."

There was no emotion, no smile or nervous giggle. Jay wasn't in the mood. Cole didn't blame him either, this was only his second day back here and tomorrow they were due to leave to travel back home. "Honestly Jay, I wish we'd never come here."

"You don't mean that." Jay mumbled, a slight smile tugged at his lips. "You wouldn't have met Star, would ya, took me on that whole goose chase around Hudson's Bluff?"

"True," Cole nodded. He had to admit that part was correct. "I kinda put you through it didn't I?"

Jay lifted his gaze up to look at Cole, he said nothing to what he assumed was rhetorical. The answer would have most definitely been yes, there was no point accepting that because both knew it. And he also knew that tomorrow was going to be hard on Cole, the whole long distance relationship as both were due to go their separate ways.

"I'm back now, all healed, sort of." Jay grumbled, pulling a grumpy face as hooked at the odd few dressings that remained.

"You are, getting better day by day." All Cole could do was be there for him. He'd only been back for a couple of days and already his mind and body had been messed up. The sight of him when his face had finally been revealed was more than a shock to Cole's system. He watched as Kai fell over backwards then watched in awe as rage consumed him and his element took over, creating an inferno to take hold. Cole barely had enough time to barrel roll into Jay to prevent him from being burned where he sat.

That whole lame plan of hers had backfired massively. The Widow Johnson had seriously underestimated the two men she had so willingly invited into her nest.

"Ya know, I did all that work for nothing," Jay mumbled, "I got nothing to show for a week of work!" A soft laugh, a gentle shake of the head.

That came from nowhere, but the more Cole thought about it, the more he agreed. It was sort of laughable in an annoying way. Jay had worked well over 30 hours and had nothing for it, no wage and no references either.

 _The job at the video store had been so utterly boring. The graveyard shift was quite literally dead. The only people that came in at that time has been either drunkards looking for a slasher or comedy. Or the shady characters who wanted behind the counter videos._

 _He wanted to quit the video store and find another job, because coming back here for the third night in a row was giving him nightmares. He didn't like the house, or the occupants that he only heard drifting in and out of his sleepy state. He hated the smell that he knew was hiding something hideous._

 _A few hours later he'd got his first break. And he'd made a run for it._

 _He wasn't intending on stealing from the till either, but these last five days had cost him more than just his food money. He'd lost his sanity too._

 _Walking back the way he'd remembered. Jay had reverted to asking for directions to where he believed Donald lived. Somehow he'd ended up on the golf course, in the dead of night. Most unfortunate thing that he'd walked right into the group of girls he'd been trying to avoid. The same ones he had been living with for a week._

 _Dragged back, kicking but not screaming. Mouth gagged and overpowered by females, it couldn't have got any worse. He'd tried his hardest to escape and it backfired. Simply;_ _Max was just a freak, a complete nutjob who was associating with female vampires as well as his own sons. Yep, a whole shitheap nest of bloodsucking vampire women, all led and guided by the widow Johnson._

 _Jay had come to realise that she was also known as the 'black widow', although, that name made him feel no less anxious about the fact that he had been their only source of food for the amount of time he was kept there._

"I don't know what to say about that, Jay."

"Nothing to say, really. You win some you lose some. Next time I won't be so eager to find a fricking job in a video store that pays a crap wage and treats their staff like dirt." His face brightened up slightly, now wide awake even as Cole was fading. "I didn't even manage to get us a television did I?" He sighed. "Never mind."

"To be honest, watching tv was the last thing on our minds. We were only here to eat, most of the time we were out looking for you."

"I guess me, Star and Laddie are three of the lucky ones then huh?"

"Yeah, I guess you are." Cole smiled, hugging his brother gently. "I guess you are."

"You gonna try and get some sleep now?" Cole asked, stretching out and trying his best to stifle an earth shattering yawn.

"Nah, sleep is for the weak, I'm gonna go downstairs for a bit."

"What, you're not serious are you? Jay, you're not well," Cole reiterated. "You need to rest, recuperate."

It seemed like an order and Cole's face told Jay everything he needed to know, Specifically that going downstairs was a no-no.

"Fine, Doctor Cole, I'll stay in bed, to keep you placated, happy now?" Jay grumbled pulling the covers over his cold body.

Cole nodded again. "You want another blanket?"

He wanted to switch the lights off and think for a while. Jay wanted to understand why he was cold and angry. Why he felt different inside and out. "Nah, I'm comfortable. Good night Cole." Jay closed his eyes until the light was switched off. He didn't want to talk all night, he knew Cole meant well but he just wasn't in the mood to talk in massive depth, especially for something that was still so damned fresh. "Thanks."

"You're welcome and, don't mention it." Cole mumbled, turning off the light before feeling his way back to his bed. The darkness was useless, he was stumbling every so often in the pitch black. "Night Jay." Cole hissed painfully.

Jay watched as Cole stubbed his toe on another of Donald's taxidermy animals that had been left at the foot of his bed. The lightning master said nothing, just frowned as Cole continually felt for the covers before pulling them over himself.

 _How could you not see it Cole, it was right there, in front of you and you couldn't even see it..._


	49. Chapter 49

"Jay?" Cole called gently, opening the door to their shared bedroom. He could see his lightning brother was out like a light, oblivious to what time of day it was, let alone _what_ day it was. "JAY?" His voice called a little louder before turning around to kiss Star with one hand on the tray, another on the door knob. "Just wait outside for a few seconds, I-I gotta wake him up, he needs to eat."

She nodded, her long soft brown curls framed her face as she gave him room to pass. "Has he eaten much?"

"No," He lowered his eyes to the ground, shaking his head gently. "We gotta keep trying."

She nodded in return, placing a soft kiss on his cheek before watching him fully enter the bedroom that housed both single beds, one of which she had slept in on more than one occasion. "You have to do what's best."

"Thanks babe, and I know." He shrugged his shoulders as if struggling to think of an alternative that didn't include the word hospital. "What choice have we got, it's either encourage him or he goes back in." He had no idea why Jay wasn't eating. Heck, he was drinking like there was no tomorrow.

Quietly, Cole closed the door behind him to retain Jay's privacy because, unlike most of Cole's brethren, Jay hadn't been introduced to Star. His recuperation was hardly the time for a full on _meet and greet_.

To most of his brothers, Star had been Cole's unknown girlfriend, someone he'd carried into the house a few hours before the shit hit the proverbial. They only got to see her face momentarily before being given the briefest of introductions. Time was tight, tempers were frayed, and ultimately their survival instincts were more important than being nice and polite to one another. Cole's brothers, the ones accounted for, had met Star on the same afternoon that all hell had broken loose. Sure, it was a badly made up plan created by the Frog brothers who between them thought it was a good idea to start a fight with a group of rowdy bloodsuckers in order to reverse the vampire infliction that was threatening to take out Lloyd's entire family.

It hadn't been an easy fight either, The Frog brothers and Lloyd seemed to get off with minor contusions. Kai's injuries were more severe, but because he was part vampire, his body healed faster than most. Similarly so with Cole, had he been vulnerable and more human, he would have needed stitches for the amount of skin tears he received from David's feral side.

* * *

Now Cole was inside the darkened room, the first thing he noticed was the strange smell in the air. It lingered unpleasantly, not like the typical boy's room stench either, this was much worse. It reminded Cole of the mortuary when a dead body had been taken from the black body bag. He hadn't noticed it earlier, it only became apparent after he had vacated the room, having been downstairs helping Zane with the cooking. Now though, the smell was exponentially worse. Secondly; Jay was snoring loudly, at the same time, but like he was struggling to breathe.

Cole knew that Jay rarely snored like that unless he had a head cold, but come of it, his team of doctors had said it was a potential side effect of being ventilated, in that, he could just have a sore throat.

Star was there, stood by his side in the doorway because the door had opened of its own volition. She was cautiously watching Jay from the corner of her eyes. It had been a whole week since she had cast eyes on him and how much he had changed in that time. He looked stronger somehow, although healing from his near death experience. Jay didn't look like most would have done, at having been so close to losing his battle. He should have looked far worse, sickly and frail, but he wasn't.

"You awake bro?" Cole whispered gently. He placed a hand on Jay's forehead and he cringed, biting his lip nervously, recoiling his hand in shock at the coolness. Worry began eating at him the more he looked at his best friend. It wasn't right, something was desperately wrong with this picture. He persevered though, he had to try to rouse Jay, least to get him up during daylight hours and back into some sort of routine. After all, the time was nearing midday and Jay hadn't risen, then again, he had been wide awake most of the night, tossing and turning because he couldn't get warm.

Cole, being exhausted and out of options, had resorted to calling Kai in at 2am. Luckily he was only one room away and didn't mind one bit at the opportunity to assist his ailing brother, the one he still felt guilty for making him this ill in the first place.

Kai's expression said everything that Cole had been thinking. Jay was shivering and sweaty, his skin felt un-naturally cold, like he'd been walking without clothes in a snow drift. So, after a good few minutes of Kai's warmer than usual embrace, the chill quickly subsided and Jay's temperature increased. He subconsciously rested his head on Jay's shoulder, avoiding the verbal admittance that this wasn't good. Since when was a human ever this cold, when they were dead or dying? Why wasn't he eating? Kai had got up without saying a word, an apprehensive glance at Cole was all he gave as he left the room silently, turning one last time to look at their brother.

It was all still so fresh in his mind as he bought the tray of food in, setting it down on the bedside cabinet.

"Jay, I've bought you something to eat and drink. Doc's said to keep your fluids up." He had placed the tray next to his brother and gently opened the shutters and internal blinds, showering the large shared bedroom in a warming rays of sunshine and some much needed vitamin d for Jay's ever paling complexion.

Typically Jay groaned, turning from the light instinctively. Other than that he didn't seem very happy at being woken up because he launched the pillow at Cole, the other was hastily pulled over his face.

Some quick reflexes had the projectile caught mid flight before it had a chance of having the desired effect of landing square in Cole's face. He smiled at Jay's antics, shaking his head slightly. "You gonna eat something, or you want me to spoon feed ya?"

Jay had feigned hunger too, that and his continual drop in temperature, another thing that would have impeded his discharge home. He would have been in hospital now had Kai not come back in intermittently to warm him up prior to the doctors rounds. Plus, he would've had a permanent ng tube fitted had he not shown that he could eat food. Discretely, Jay had waited until all his visitors and nurses had left, before he couldn't bear it any longer. He kept the food in his stomach for as long as he could and then he threw it all back up again. Cole would've thought it sacrilege to pass up the opportunity for such flavoursome food. But for Jay, it was a miserable existence, truthfully he didn't understand why it was happening, just that he didn't feel the same anymore and he hadn't since Nicole's blood had entered his mouth.

"Wh-what time is it?" Jay groaned in response, edging up on to his elbows. "Wow, that late huh?" He caught a glimpse of the time and cringed, rubbing his eyes like he barely believed what they were telling him. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

"You looked tired, beat. Besides Jay, you're kinda ill."

Confused by that answer, Jay raised an eyebrow questioningly. "So why are you in here now then? Waking me up?"

"To get you into some sort of routine, and these meds," He pointed at the two white capsules in the clear plastic pot. "They have to taken at specific times, sorry Jay."

Jay groaned in response, nodding his head gently before he looked to his side, seeing a familiar female standing there. "Y-you must be Star?"

She nodded imperceptibly and walked across to him, sticking close to Cole, hands intertwined within a millisecond of them being in such a close proximity.

"And you must be Jay?" She offered her hand.

"Right," Jay smiled weakly, nodding. "How are ya?"

She didn't answer, shyness seemed to overcome her as she edged into Cole's side after shaking Jay's cold hand.

He had shaken her hand as a gesture of friendship then felt her shiver in response to his touch. "Forgive me," Jay took a deep breath, edging up and off the bed, stretching his ever aching arms and legs. They felt as heavy as lead, and if he was truthful with himself, he felt like he had the flu, the aches were spreading to his chest.

Grunting as he edged off the bed, he turned to observe the long haired brunette who stood there looking pretty. "I'm sorry if I don't get up and give you a welcoming hug, you got Cole there for that, right?" He took that moment to purposefully remove some of the dressings from his legs hoping to make her feel a little uncomfortable. After all, she was partially responsible for his dire state in the first instance. If she hadn't swayed Cole to follow her for two nights in a row, Jay wouldn't have been feeling like shit for the third consecutive day.

But as he removed his dressings that Cole had placed the night before, his eyes widened. Amazingly, there was no need to wear them anymore, his wounds were non existent, the bruises albeit gone. This fact alone proved worrisome for both Star, who saw his face screw up in confusion and Jay who wasn't sure what was going on.

Not daring to remove the bite dressings in front of either, Jay made a pained and concerted effort to stand. He did so with increasing difficulty as his muscles refused to cooperate. Once upright, Jay grabbed the table top mirror, carrying it with him, all the while feigning ignorance at why he was keeping it with him, considering there was an additional mirror in the bathroom. His short journey was to the shared bathroom, which he figured was empty owing to hearing most of his brothers outside prepping the U Haul trailer for their long commute home.

"Plans for today guys?" Jay mumbled from the bathroom, locking the door whilst placing the mirror in front of him. He doused his face with cold water and just stared at nothing but what was behind him. If anything, it was incredibly unnerving to not be able to himself, where he stood. He knew he was standing there, he was holding so tightly onto the bathroom faucet that his nail beds had gone white. How was he supposed to brush his teeth or shave when he couldn't see himself?

He could feel stubble, could feel his teeth were a bit rough to touch. A certain sharpness to four of them which he assumed were his canines, yet he couldn't see them. Sure, if he was a good enough artist he'd just draw a photo image of himself there, but this was getting stupid. He hadn't seen his reflection for near on four days. Well, since Nicole had given him her blood to survive on. And she had done it more than once too.

"We were planning to take a trip to the beach before we leave later today, won't be too hot for ya either, you wanna join us?"

"Sure." Jay felt for his face and loaded up his free hand with shave cream, before picking up the nearest razor blade. Then holding his skin taught with eyes closed, he felt the contours of his face and began shaving from memory. The annoying thing was, he couldn't see if there were missed areas or if he'd nicked his skin, he couldn't fathom why either.

At first he thought it was a prank that maybe one of the guys had taken the silver backing off, leaving the glass there, but if that was the case he'd be able to see through to the white tiles behind the damned frame. Now he wasn't so sure, no one had mentioned anything about it either and he didn't want to seem like the only one who had an issue with the mirror's in Donald's home when no-one else had batted an eyelid at the lack of reflections in each one.

"Ya know, we don't have to leave so early, we could stay a little longer?" He suggested, hoping to sway or to rid him of some of that mounting guilt he knew Cole was holding onto.

"You sure? I mean we thought it would be better for you, being back at the temple, closer to home."

"I'm...sure, Cole." Suddenly, he felt a keen sting and instinctively he looked to observe where he had cut. Frustration soon set in at being unable to see anything but the bathroom wall behind him.

He squeezed the handheld mirror tighter until it cracked in his grasp. "Oww." He hissed, looking down to his hand where the pain was mounting. There was blood, not much but enough to cover the glass that had fallen to the floor. Quickly, Jay grabbed some tissue and he wiped his cut face, then suckled on his bleeding finger. At least he could see his finger bleeding, the same couldn't be said of his face.

"You okay in there?"

"Yeah, f-fine Cole." Tasting his own blood, he licked his lips subconsciously and the taste was quickly burned into his recesses, it was so good, addictive almost.

Eyes closed serenely. Jay was at that moment deep in thought about what Cole had muttered, not to mention his tongue was skimming over some elongated teeth.

Were they really planning on cutting this holiday short because of what had happened? They'd barely been here a fortnight and so much had happened. It was no-ones fault really, well maybe Star's, but he wasn't going to bite her head off for that reason alone. He doubted he'd be able to get close enough as Cole was always with her, that is, when he wasn't with him being a joint mother hen along with Kai and Nya.

"If you're sure Jay, I can go and let the guys know, we can stay for maybe another few weeks?"

 _If it means you're not gonna be watching me eat then I'm sure..._

"Yeah, I don't want to be responsible for you guys having this rare vacation cut short because of me..."

Cole seemed positively ecstatic at that response because Jay heard him leave the room with Star in tow, then a few minutes later, an excited cheer from Kai, Lloyd and Zane.

Discarding the broken mirror and accepting of the seven years of bad luck, Jay slipped down the wall, landing softly on the floor as his aching limbs refused to hold him up any longer. His finger in his mouth again, it tasted sinfully good almost reminding him of Nicole's blood when she had purposefully bit her lip before kissing him passionately.

 _Wh-what's happening to me?_

* * *

 **Donald's homestead**

 **Mid afternoon.**

"Okay fine," Eddie hissed down the phone line. "101 vampire slaying; rule number one, when killing vampires, you work your way through them until you find the head vampire. Any half vampires infected have the curse lifted once the main one goes down, that's just how it works."

Lloyd did remember this annoying diatribe, he'd heard it a few times before because these guys loved to talk about vampires. "So, what's gonna happen if you kill them out of sync?"

"What do ya mean?" Alan asked, tone monosyllabic. "You didn't did you?"

Lloyd rolled his green eyes, grateful in the knowledge that neither Frog brother cold see him dissing them. "If the head vampire isn't the last to go..."

"We've never done it like that, have we Alan?"

"Ha, call that more luck than judgement." His brother chimed in.

Alan conceded, chuckling slightly. "True, when we took care of the blood suckers a few days ago, we started with the smallest, then worked our way through em. It all culminated in the old guy, he was their ring leader, but yous guys, you were given _her_ blood."

"I wasn't." Lloyd vehemently denied. "It was more like Cole and Kai, though Kai kinda stole it from the fridge."

"Whatever, it was her blood to begin with. She's the one that turned em all. It's why they still had the strength of one at the party." Eddie added. "It was why your bro's could take em down without much injury."

"Uh, okay."

"God, Lloyd, please tell me you killed the matriarch last?"Alan's voice seemed panicked. "I mean you were kinda clueless yesterday as to who they slayed first?"

Suddenly, they were waiting on Lloyd's input, this owing to the fact that both Cole and Kai had given their version of events relating to the successful mission during a debrief over breakfast at the hospital. "She wasn't the last to die, _no_. They killed her, then Skylor and finally Nicole."

"SHIT." Eddie cussed loudly. "Shit, _shitty_ shit REALLY?"

Lloyd held the receiver away from his ear as Eddie let rip with a few louder and more colourful expletives. "Wh-what's wrong Eddie?" He frowned, his stomach started to churn nervously. "Eddie?"

A deep intake of breath was heard, then a long pause.

"If the matriarch dies before her nest, a new one is formed. The infection has to find a way to live on by nature, so, it would have been Nicole."

"What about her, she's dead too."

"Did Jay drink her blood?"

"I...What?"

"TELL ME?" Eddie barked down the line.

"Y-yes, I think so, _maybe._ He was weak, they weren't exactly feeding him."

"Was it within 24 hours of her death?"

"I don't know, I guess?" Lloyd looked perplexed, staring at the handset as if it were giving him an evil glare. "Guys?"

An awkward pause.

"Your brother, you shouldn't have rescued him."

"What? Why not?" Lloyd gaped, rubbing his flustered face with his free hand. "That was the plan, when we realised he was still alive. Recover and rescue."

"I'm telling you straight, because we're tight." Eddie hissed over the phone. "He'd have been better off dead."

That was callous, sometimes Lloyd actually wondered if these two brothers had solid stone hearts. "How could you think like that, h-he's my brother?"

"Facts speak for themselves." Alan stated coldly.

"Lloyd, we like to think that we built up a bond of trust when we worked together as a team. That we could confide in each other about all this unexplainable stuff that gets swept under the carpet." Eddie said.

"That you'd be understanding of the instructions we give?" Alan added, finishing off his brother's sentence.

"Yeah okay." Lloyd didn't like the tone one bit. He could just imagine that both brothers were likely huddled over the phone chastising him. "What exactly are you insinuating?"

"You killed them out of order." Eddie surmised. "You said so yourself."

"Well yes but...?" Lloyd frowned, recoiling from the phone in confusion. "We-we took care of them, _all of them._ Cole and Kai had their infliction reversed, Jay's fine too..."

Alan snorted derisively down the phone. "God, you guys are clueless. You don't get it do ya?"

"Get what?" Lloyd was growing impatient with this game of questioning pauses and vague cryptic replies.

"LLOYD, Jay's a vampire. You know what that means right?" Eddie paused, not waiting for Lloyd to understand, the words spoke for themselves. "And, he's likely a head vampire too, considering there aren't any others now."

"And how would you know that?"

"You didn't kill the matriarch last..." Alan stated.

"Well, if Nicole was the new matriarch, we kinda did." Lloyd countered.

"But Jay was already transitioning at that stage, once bitch Johnson was staked; Nicole's blood would have infected Jay. The less vampires to remain, the stronger they become."

"From what Cole and Kai said, Nicole didn't put up much of a fight either."

"She didn't want to, maybe she wanted the curse to end." Alan argued.

"Impossible. A vampire could've slipped the net over these last few days." He offered as an alternative. Because what they were saying was preposterous. Jay wasn't exhibiting any signs whatsoever. There was no insane thirst for living things, his eyes were still blue, canines still blunt. "Jay's no different than the rest of us."

Eddie didn't have time for this. He liked to tell things how they were, timescales were his thing. "We didn't miss any, your brothers didn't either."

"Well, they kinda did..." Alan snorted.

"Beside the point Alan." Eddie chastised his brother, smothering the receiver as he did so. "Lloyd, I don't have time to explain this, you're just gonna have to trust us."

Lloyd wasn't finding it funny in the slightest. "Whatever guys, it's kinda hard to believe what you're saying. Jay's normal, he's just ill, he's not a vampire, I'd know if he was, I've known him for years."

"Tell me then smart ass, is he excessively moody, does he have a foul temper? Does he stay up all night and sleep all day?"

"Well, yeah to all, but that's normal if Cole or Kai have been winding him up. He's a sensitive guy, his only gripe is that he's really cold."

"Lloyd," Alan said in a slightly patronising tone. "I'm not joking, you guys either need to get garlic necklaces or it's gonna be your pyre."

"That's not helpful in the slightest, _Alan_." Lloyd replied, heavy with sarcasm. "And we already tried the garlic route, it didn't work _remember_?"

"Actually Alan," Eddie said, tone quiet and subdued. "There might be another course of action."

There was a long pause followed by a shuffling and zipper noise and the sound of something incredibly heavy being placed nearest the phone receiver. Lloyd could hear the shop jukebox playing in the background, the same sixties and seventies mix being played as usual.

"Lloyd, you still there?" Eddie asked, monotonously after what seemed like five minutes.

"Uh yeah."

"Good, listen up. So, if Jay _is_ a full vampire and hasn't performed his first kill yet-"

Lloyd remained unsure, he knew Jay was still annoyed at being ill and the long healing process he had been warned of wasn't helping matters. Moreover, he'd be reluctant to try anything new that would be guaranteed to cause more pain, the poor guy had endured so much as it was. "What are ya saying?"

"Bloodletting, it's an old practice that was meant to remove and drain infected blood. So for el vampiro; you drain the cursed blood until there's none left then replace it rapidly with fresh stuff?!"

"Isn't that incredibly dangerous?" Lloyd queried, eyebrow raised. "He'll never agree to this."

"But it's a way out." Eddie argued. "That's why it's called extreme bloodletting, besides we won't let him run dry, he just wont have any blood at all for a minute, maybe pure saline?"

Lloyd's eyes had widened. What they were talking about was akin to murder, letting Jay bleed out and hoping that the book they were looking in had a good detailed section on how to get the blood back in, otherwise Jay would die, and there'd be no coming back from that. CPR or no, there would be nothing left to bring back, just an empty vessel. "It's not proven though is it, because it sounds kinda risky to me, and what type of hospital or clinic is gonna perform that on a relatively healthy looking guy?"

"No hospital will do it, but we know someone who will, Lloyd. Plus, you gotta look at it this way; he might look healthy now, but it aint gonna last." Eddie stated, _unhelpfully_.

"What choice ya got, he stay's like that, it's only gonna be a matter of time before he turns on you. Remember how moody Cole was or how angry Kai got? Well, Jay's more than likely a full vampire already, he'll kill you easily, go through you all one by one." Alan always seemed so blunt with his words.

The warning was dire, slightly terrifying in its delivery, offering no option but to think it through because if Jay was truly a head vampire, and Lloyd was the only one to know of it, he couldn't take the risk for himself and his brothers, he would have to go ahead with it.

"He wouldn't do that, he'd more than likely exile himself than attack us." He hoped that was more the case, though it pained him to think that Jay would have to for something that was never his fault to begin with.

"That's what they all think. Look Lloyd." Eddie said in a belittling tone. "You really don't got a choice with this. I'm telling it like it is."

"No, you just want another kill under your belt. Cos if this doesn't work, you'll have slayed another, wont ya?" He could just imagine them both shrugging their shoulders with his accusation.

No matter how true it was, they couldn't deny that Lloyd was more than likely able to see through their lies by the way they held themselves, and their lengthy pauses. "Sure, if that's what ya think fine, you got us. In all seriousness though, if this works, you'll get your brother back, intact, that's gotta be a good thing right, something to aim for?"

"And, if it doesn't go as planned?" Lloyd asked, always thinking of the what ifs, someone had to, it was fairly obvious that Edgar and Alan Frog weren't going to. "A funeral?"

"We'll have ended another potential threat." Eddie surmised somewhat passively. "Another dead vampire and one less for yous guys to worry about."

Their tone was going from hot to cold, switching from both with such ease and a distinct lack of human empathy to their words. This was Lloyd's family, his brothers whose lives were at stake, and Jay whose life was soon going to be on the line if they messed up. Lloyd pinched the bridge of his nose. He shook his head not actually believing he was going to go accept this bizarre idea. "So, if we go ahead with this lame plan, when were ya thinking?"

There was a pregnant pause. An uncomfortably awkward silence as the tension mounted. "We need him before the thirst begins to take over." Alan stated.

Lloyd rolled his eyes. He had a feeling they'd use their vampire lingo to confuse matters further. "Okay, kinda vague, don't you think?"

Then there were the dulcet tones of Eddie again. "Yeah, if the thirst gets him, he'll be unstoppable, Max and David were easy, they were old and hadn't fed for a few days, but if Jay eats now, he'll be on a literal mission to begin his own brood cos the infection needs to thrive."

Lloyd was shaking his head in denial. "He'll never accept this, and if he does, how am I supposed to get my brothers on board?"

Another pause on the phone line. "He probably doesn't even know yet, especially if he was turned without having any prior knowledge."

"I think he had prior knowledge of them, Jay was an 'all you can drink buffet' for just short of a week. And even if I tell him, there's gonna be no way on earth he'd agree."

"If he don't agree we'll take him by force."

" _Eddie_ , Jay's ill, you can't hurt him." It came out as more of a plea, he was only thinking of Jay's well-being, whilst agreeing to make his life a living hell for the next few days.

Eddie looked at his brother as he held the phone set. This would be indescribably painful for the poor sap, the best outcome being death above all else. "Lloyd, I never said this was gonna be easy. In fact I'm telling you right now that it wont be, BUT, the sooner we do it, the more chance he's got."

"Yeah, if it works..." Lloyd interjected.

"Eddie's right, You're gonna have to trust us. In fact, you don't have to tell them, we'll do this as a team?"

There was a huge amount of reluctance evident in Lloyd's lack of commitment to this cause. Easily picked up in the lack of communication.

Eddie picked up on it. "Lloyd, here's a few things you gotta know and I'm sorry we never got a chance to tell you this when Cole and Kai were turned but Jay's a whole lot different in that aspect. A full vampire is also called a transitioning vampire. First day, they feel like they've got the flu, he would have only just had the infective curse introduced into his system at this time, and, he would've had at least the two main symptoms, noticeable or not which would've been sickness, and chills."

This sounded ominously familiar, Jay was complaining of it being cold, even though his room was a balmy 24 degrees in the hospital.

Eddie continued, undeterred by the lack of verbal cues. "On the second day they kinda notice an aching and bleeding in their mouth if fangs are developing, sorta like teething."

No emotion was shown, the conversation was deadly serious. Eddie had the phone tight to his ear reading off some old literature, god only knows where he'd procured it from. "This toothache is joined by urges to swallow the blood and drink even more. After a few days the biggest problem faced is thirst and dehydration, but normal water and drinks do little to quench the thirst. Meanwhile, he'll begin to think about blood, even contemplating the taste of his own and those around him."

Lloyd shivered and his face paled as that horrid scene with Cole looming over him came back with a startling clarity.

"They begin to notice the smell of blood in the air. And, by the end of the second day, start being sick because they go off any and all food. Lloyd, has he been eating since he got back?"

"No, not much" Lloyd's hand settled over his mouth. He was the youngest of his brothers, only by a few years at most. And, most of the time they did listen to him and his suggestions. This was something he knew they would have serious doubts over. Unless he could somehow prove that Jay was a vampire, though that could prove risky too. He quickly thought about what Cole had mentioned at the party a few nights ago. Someone's blood had to be spilled for the vampire side to reveal itself, and the only drawback to that little issue was the excessive outward strength each vampire would have at having seen blood spilt.

"Anything else I should know, what about the remainder of the days?"

Another uncomfortable pause and the sounds of pages being turned, finger skimming down the leaf of paper. "How many days post party is he?"

"Wh-why?" Lloyd questioned.

"Because it's the difference of spending your last few days with him if this doesn't work or having a few hours left before we do this."

"R-right," He counted on his fingers, it had only been three days max and ominously again, they hadn't mentioned the latter days. "Three days today."

"Shit," Eddie cussed across the phone line. The unease was easy to hear in his voice. "Three days post infection, is he in any pain yet?"

"He was aching about an hour ago, Cole got him up early, gave him his pain meds. The guys and Nya took him to the beach for some R&R."

"Okay, well, pain is normal on the third day and it's gonna be more noticeable in their chest. Usually they get extreme chills, something to do with their heart slowing down in preparation to stop."

He bit his lip at the heart stopping statement. Lloyd nodded, taking it all in, _bit by bit_. Though he didn't want to accept one part of it, he recognised quite a few of these signs and symptoms from being around Jay for the past three days. "Okay, anything else?"

"I'm reading here that on the third day the infected will be forced to fight off impulses to bite loved ones or kill those they care for."

"Oh, that's kinda like what Cole did, though Kai didn't do it."

"Dude, Lloyd?" Eddie clicked his fingers down the line. "This isn't a case of doing some stupid ass initiations like Cole said. EMO boy's had it easy compared to Jay, he was alive, and he would've lost that ability when he killed his first victim. But Jay's dying, the infection's gonna kill him in less than twenty four hours and then it'll be too late to reverse it."

"Right, I-I understand. Tell me what I need to know."

"More signs to look out for, that way you can report back what you've seen and we can sorta pinpoint V day."

"V day?"

"When he turns into vampire, Lloyd are you even paying attention?"

The young master of energy sighed. In a way letting the Frog brothers know he was on the end of the line albeit reluctantly now.

"What to look out for; right there's aches and pains and they'll only increase as the day progresses because his heart rate will get slower over time. He's wont be able to fight us off tonight because the pain's gonna down him then he'll spend the rest night breathless, frozen and distant. I'm guessing that if he stays at home, Cole and Kai will end up taking him to the hospital sooner or later because he's gonna look and feel like he's dying and that's something we need to avoid at all costs."

"Why?"

"It's kinda obvious Lloyd, he's a fricking vampire, a hospital is full of mostly living things, he'll have a full on buffet, all he can eat."

"Oh, right." He replied, feeling a little stupid, at least he knew now. "No hospitals."

"I'm sorry dude, I've never seen a full vampire infection only half vampires becoming full vampires never like this though." Eddie passed the handset to Alan, shouting something in the background.

"Can you give me anything positive about this, like having a brother to take home who isn't likely to kill all of us, one by one? Alan?"

"Sorry green bean, Eddie's got it spot on. If he's day three we gotta do it tonight, kinda before midnight which'll make it day four. It's not uncommon for a Vampire at this stage to see their life flash before their eyes, or have hallucinations of the afterlife. We can't do it after day three, tomorrow it'll be too late."

"FINE..." Lloyd finally agreed. "The guys are gonna kill me when they find out what I've done."

"No Lloyd, Jay will be the only one to do the killing, and he wont stop with you, he'll kill every last one of your brothers." Alan warned in all seriousness. "Look, time's running out here, we'll be over later, gotta pick up some supplies first."

"Like what?" Lloyd queried, worried he'd made a massive mistake by agreeing to this without speaking to anyone about it.

"Lloyd, how tall is he?" Alan interrupted, evidently he was scribbling some important details down. "Blood type, allergies?"

"Uh, why do ya need to know all this?"

"Blood volume, we're gonna drain every last drop remember." Eddie smiled, the presence of which made his voice seem eerie down the phone line.

Rolling his green eyes. Lloyd looked around himself warily, in case his mother was anywhere nearby or if his brothers had returned. None of which would truly allow him to go through with this risky endeavour. Plus, the blue dude had only just come home from the hospital.

He groaned, shaking his head with so much on his plate now. "Blood type O positive, make sure you give him the right stuff." He warned, voice taught with emotion. "Height five feet eleven inches. Jay's got no known allergies. Please guys, tell me this is gonna work?"

"Relax Lloyd, we'll be over in two hours to get him. If this don't work, you wanna go to plan B?"

"Plan B?"

"Stake?" Eddie whispered, some genuine concern and a hint of sorrow at having to state it aloud, because the utterance sounded so callous. "You want us to do it or?"

Lloyd bit back the tears, it had only been a few days at most that he'd seen his brother dead in the back of their car. The life had literally left his eyes for those few painful seconds before defibrillation. But out of his family, who would be able to do it really? Cole would never be able to do it, he felt guilt at being the one to put Jay in danger initially. Then again, neither would Kai, he felt just as bad for biting Jay and taking as much as he could despite the never ending shivers from Jay as he did so. Nya couldn't be told because she'd never let Lloyd touch him, let alone attempt something like this and Zane, he would be the one who would always try to find another way despite time being against them. "No, I-I'll do it, if it comes to that. If he cant be saved, I'll be the one to do it."

"You have to do it quick though, to avoid any more pain? Because he'll be pretty angry if this don't work, baying for blood angry?"

"O-okay."

"You're a good guy, a solid head on young shoulders." Eddie said, with a hint of pride in those words. "Your brothers can't know about this, right? We gotta do it covert ops, unseen, so, we'll come in from the back, make sure you leave the door unlatched."

"I will."

"And Lloyd, all we can do is try. If nothing else we can at least say we tried, _right_?"


	50. Chapter 50

"I didn't kn-know it was broken haa." Jay wheezed breathlessly, holding firmly onto his chest whilst Cole and Kai were helping him back into the bedroom after a day of fresh air. "I remember you t-took it though, instead of your own!" He chastised mockingly, then grimaced with an unknown hidden pain.

"I kinda had to," Cole reasoned with a guilty face, even if he couldn't remember trashing it in the first place, only very vaguely seeing Jay's bike rather than his own the morning after the night when Jay had disappeared. "I felt responsible, for the state it was in and we kinda knew it was your pride and joy."

Nya was following in hot pursuit with anything that she thought would keep the pain at bay, so her hands were loaded up with liquid oral morphine and various other pain meds, anything she could grab without overdosing her boyfriend.

"You'd fixed it up then?"

"Y-yeah, of course." Cole panted, his free hand rubbing the back of his head with a subtle awkwardness about it. He took that moment to cast a worried and extremely concerned glance at both Nya and Kai who were at his eye level. They both looked back at him with the same look of dread as they took in the deteriorating state of their blue eyed auburn haired brother.

Jay's head had flopped forwards in his tired state, though he was still attempting to weight bear so as to avoid the unnecessary but inevitable mollycoddling that Nya and Misako would willingly provide.

Cole had a feeling that whatever this was, it didn't look good for Jay. He had a gut feeling that Jay was going to be admitted at this rate. The whole struggling for breathe didn't fill him with much positivity either, despite what they'd said in the hospital.

 _"Oh it's perfectly normal. A side effect if you will, from being on the ventilator. Some have delayed reactions to it because of the trauma so Mr Walker might just be one of those. Nothing to worry about though."_

 _"And what about his temperature? Or how fast he's healing?"_

 _"The wounds were not that deep to begin with, the evident and obvious bite marks of unknown origin on his arm and neck though, well they will need redressing for a week at least, that was why he was on IV antibiotics. Please Mr Brookstone, try not to fret, he is healing as quickly as anyone would."_

 _"And his temperature?" Cole repeated, slightly flustered. "Why's he so cold?"_

 _"Again a possible side effect from whatever he subjected his body to. Mr Brookstone, drugs can have a devastating effect on the brain and other organs. It shouldn't be permanent though, maybe keep a eye on it, keep him wrapped up, plenty of sunshine."_

Basically the hospital's discharge team had been useless. His fears had not been alleviated nor calmed and he was left none the wiser about what to expect other than Jay being a walking refrigerator, which the doctors didn't seem overly concerned about.

* * *

Kai didn't say a word either, he was supporting Jay's legs while Cole took Jay's upper half. Between them they hoisted him onto the bed at an awkward angle. Cole gave one almightly tug and pulled Jay up the bed so his head would rest on the feather filled pillow. And because of the sudden and swift change in position, Kai nearly fell onto Jay in the process of laying him on the bed.

Once Jay was flat out on the bed, Kai grabbed the landline phone and began dialing 911 as a matter of urgency, for clarification and advice.

Waiting for the eventual dialing tone was like waiting for paint to dry. The line eventually answered and a snooty bitch answered the call. Immediately she got Kai's back up as she sensed how flustered he was. "I am calm." He growled under his breath, staring at the phone in annoyance. "Fine..." He bent over Jay's form as Cole removed some of Jay's outer clothes.

"His breathing rate's really fast, err pulse, Nya can you check it?" He ordered, a little too harshly feeling out of his depth for not having all these details to hand before calling, but then really who would have all the required observations to hand when phoning in a 911 call?

Jay smiled half-heartedly at being jostled around with Nya's soft touch, typically Kai wasn't as gentle and he was quick to notice the panic stricken face of his spiky haired brother. "You worry...too much Kai." He didn't try to sit up or move, even get himself comfortable from his odd angle on the bed. He was in too much pain to attempt that. Instead, he was focusing on his breathing as it was the only thing he could do, but even that was failing him, well, it felt like it was.

"Cole, can I get some w-water.? He mumbled mid way through Nya plying him with a hefty 10ml dose of liquid oral morphine. "Please."

How could he refuse that prize winning smile and the puppy dog eyes of his best friend who looked genuinely ill but cheeky with it? "Sure thing bud, be back up in a few." Cole nodded, racing out of the door without being asked twice, running downstairs to the kitchen where the drinking water tap was. The bathroom faucet's only held the water from the cold water tank in the eaves, the kitchen however was direct from source and underground.

"Nya," Jay whispered, tousling her hair between his blueing half moon nail beds. Breathing slowing as the chest pain increased, he squeezed his eyes shut in response. Now, mouth parched with the excessive breathing, he looked solely at Nya. "What's happening?"

"Oh Jay..." She smiled nervously whilst holding his hands in her own. Her face though calm, was tainted with fear and uncertainty. Nya didn't know what was occurring either only because this was nothing like what Cole and Kai had endured during their transformations. Not that she thought that was happening anyway, at least she hoped it wasn't that. **_No_** , internally she shook that from her mind, this was _nothing_ like that. Though, to alleviate these newfound fears, she held her breath and discretely checked his teeth as she placed a dissolve-able analgesic tablet on his tongue. This was despite the fact that she had absolutely no reason to believe he was anything but her boyfriend. Her held breath and rise in anxiety relaxed slightly when she saw nothing but normal teeth in his mouth and she gently stroked his cheek in response, mostly to allay her own feelings of dread and uncertainty.

"It hurts..."

She nodded in response to his breathless admission, it was al she could do, being as she couldn't sympathise. She had no idea of the pain he may or may not have been in, even if he was hiding the majority of it. "Kai's phoning the paramedics, they'll be able to help you better than we can." She said, hands gently clasping his face afraid to let go in case his eyes closed for that final time. In reality she was attempting to keep her fears at bay, one hand counting his pulse. "Heart rate is 116."

Shaking his head, Jay was adamant he wasn't that ill, not as ill as some of the patients were and certainly not ill enough to warrant a hospital admission. "I don't want to go to the hospital."

"You might not have a choice bud." Cole replied having reappeared at the doorway, tray laden with a earthenware jug of fresh water and a filled tumbler with aqua vita.

Jay had muttered something incomprehensible under his breath, likely mildly offensive at Cole's remark. He winced as he sat, taking the tumbler of water which Cole had poured and handed to him. A slight look of appreciation on his pained features. "Hmm, thanks."

He didn't sit on the bed as he would have normally done, Nya was there and Kai was too close on the other side, looking over Jay with a level of scepticism that rivalled Zane's. Evidently, he was being given conflicting advice on the phone and Cole could tell by judging Kai's exasperated looks, meant he was getting nowhere and fast.

So, rather than standing there like a spare part and helpless at that; Cole stood to the side and placed the tray on the nightstand. Sure, he had the feeling that Jay was anything but thankful. He really didn't want to back in to hospital, he couldn't blame Jay either. Heck, the last time wasn't exactly pleasant for him, especially when he had the whole addiction talk from the MDT and then offered the chance of going to weekly drugs anonymous meetings.

"Nya?" Kai called from the doorway. Handset hanging low, dialing tone none existent as Kai had ended the call. "We need to up his pain meds but lower the oramorph!" He frowned, being that Nya had just plied him with a large dose. "And uh, keep him warm."

"Great tell me that now..." Nya huffed,placing the bottle out of reach of Jay.

"Sorry, it's just that the Operator spoke to a health professional, they seem to think it could just be a simple fever or withdrawal symptoms, we just gotta keep an eye on it."

She shook her head in annoyance. This was ridiculous, how could they think it was either? Jay wasn't the type to have an addictive personality and a fever...no way, none of them were remotely ill, even Donald had his seasonal flu vaccine. "He doesn't have a fever, he freezing cold?" Her expression incredulous at her own brothers' words. "Doesn't look like a fever, he can hardly breathe. And why would they think it was withdrawal, he's not addicted to anything?"

Kai bit his lip at Nya's remark, of course she wasn't going to believe that lame excuse, neither would Zane, even if the truth had been there for all to see a few days ago. Sadly, when Jay had arrived at hospital, he looked like he had overdosed, even had the pinprick scars running down his arms and legs, tourniquet bruises here and there. Then to solidify their claims, blood results had come back with high levels of classified narcotics in. So, the 911 operator and on call Doctor had a point; this could quite possibly be a delayed withdrawal. The only cure for that was: sleep and rest and keeping on top of his pain.

"Well Nya," Kai argued gently. "It would explain the pain and how ill he looks. Even the hospital said he might experience it at some point."

She slowly shook her head in denial. Maybe it was withdrawal, had she overlooked that in her fears of thinking it was something more sinister? Something she thought as serious as being a vampire despite the fact she had no proof to back up her fears. This was also despite the fact there were no more vampires left in Santa Carla. "Withdrawal, Jay..." She held his face, struggling to believe what he was experiencing was that, but who was she to argue with the medical professionals?

"Nya," Jay whispered swallowing deeply. "It'll be okay, you'll see." His blue eyes looked dull, heavy. "Kai's right, maybe I-I need to sleep it off."

"You think we overdid it today, _guys_?"

"If we did, I still enjoyed it." Jay smiled, biting his purple lip gently whilst understanding her implicitly.

This day had been arranged because the last time they all went out as a team had been over a week ago and so much had happened in that time. And, of course, it had been planned because Cole felt heavily responsible for being the cause of all of this, in his solely focused mindset of 'getting the girl' and then partaking in initiation after initiation to prove his worthiness in joining David's gang. So, Cole and Kai had spent the previous day planning a relaxing outing for Jay. It had involved a few hours on the pier, no rides just gentle sea breeze as ordered by the doctors. He needed to walk to get some strength back, to get some sunlight. Then they had a light lunch at the diner where Nya had worked before handing her notice in. Sadly, this had originally been the plan before Cole left to pursue Star and Jay vanished after trying to save his brother's life on the bridge. The day had finished with a lazy afternoon on the beach, watching as the sun went down, reflecting beautifully on the Pacific ocean.

Jay and Nya couldn't help themselves despite how weak he had felt, so the moment took them under the boardwalk when Zane, Cole and Kai, were playing beach volley ball. They lay in the sand innocently, cuddling and kissing and talking, in a sense they were catching up on lost time. Both being the best medication for each other until the sun had gone down and Jay's pain returned tenfold.

His bright blue eyes slowly closing. Taking all their words in but lacking the energy anymore to respond as enthusiastically as he wanted. "I'll be fine tomorrow, I'm just tired." The yawn made him feel worse and his eyes remained closed after that. No amount of rousing would wake him as he fell into a deep sleep, almost coma like in nature.

"I'll stay with him." Nya offered, brushing some errant hair from his face as he slept. "I guess this is a good bit of news Kai, he's not cold anymore." She noted, feeling his face. A sigh of relief ensued at his now room temperature skin.

"You want something to eat and drink then, reckon you're hungry?"

She half shrugged. To be fair, Nya had eaten small morsels with everyone her brothers in the diner, however her worry and concern over Jay's most recent hospitalisation had affected her appetite somewhat. She looked at Jay again, nodding her head so Kai could see, either her boyfriend was exceptionally clever at hiding how much pain he had been in all day or maybe this was a part of his lengthy recovery that he was trying to avoid showing.

"Nya, he'll be fine. Like he say's he probably just needs to sleep it off." Kai soothed, pulling Nya from the bed. "Come on, lets leave him to rest, he could probably do with the silence anyway."

She looked mildly apprehensive at Kai's suggestion of leaving him to slumber, because it was all he'd been doing since being back home. But, maybe the doctors were right after all, he really needed to sleep. And, the more she observed him, the more her mind chose for her. Nya nodded her head and very carefully covered him up with a thick quilt, a quick peck on the cheek which would have normally given a smirk in response this time, it gave nothing at all. Jay was sleeping so deeply that even a fire alarm wouldn't have woken him now. "Good night, get some rest, we'll be up later to check on you."

Nya and Kai vacated the room, closing but not locking the door behind them.

"Is Lloyd back yet?" Nya fading voice queried her brother as they traversed the wooden stairs.

"He went out with his mom today, he might be having a meal on the seafront, ya know the whole mom and son bonding thing?"

One by one, the hallway lights were switched off but the bedside lamp remained illuminated. The warm glow it cast upon the walls was enough to remind Jay where he was if he woke. Cole had been trying to minimise Jay having these waking visions of being back at her house again. Leaving the lamp on and decorating the room with things that Jay liked was helping gradually, unlike the first night of being in a pitch black room, that had been a long night, never ending in some aspects.

Unknown to Kai, Nya and Cole was the hidden Lloyd who had held his breath in the adjoining bathroom. He had stood patiently in the dark, extremely grateful that no one had chosen to use it at that moment, otherwise he'd have some lame excuse to make up as to why he was waiting out in the bathroom with the lights off. Not only that, but he also had the Frog brothers waiting with him, in full on camouflage gear and warpaint.

Eddie was holding a crowbar, Alan a metal tube stake. Lloyd, a bottle of inconspicuous water in his hand, finger to his mouth until his brothers had cleared the stairs.

"Come on, coast is clear." He whispered, opening the bathroom door and tiptoeing out towards Jay's bed.

"Don't hurt him, guys," Lloyd warned, getting closer to Jay's bed. Opening the blinds slightly to gauge how dark it was outside and if they would be able to do this easily and without being stopped or questioned.

"You want to see if he's a full vamp doncha?" Alan smirked, revealing a small test tube of congealed blood.

"Where do you even get that?" Lloyd turned his nose up, avoiding the posed question all together. Of course he wanted to know, because then they'd be able to do something about it, he hoped. Sure it would take some getting used to and some serious rehousing adjustments, not to mention ground rules about sucking on human blood. He shuddered slightly and cringing, Lloyd nodded his head.

He watched as the Frog brother's got into place either side of Jay's prone form. The moonlight providing a sinister scene by casting an alabaster white glow on Jay's deathly white face whilst he slept.

"Watch closely greenbean..." Eddie warned, crowbar at the reading in a wide one armed arc. "And have that water ready to mask the smell."

Lloyd knew why they referred to him as such now, it was his favourite colour, plus he'd told them as much. "Mask the smell of what again?" he asked, voice barely heard to avoid rousing suspicion from his brothers in arms, downstairs.

"The smell of his own blood." Alan said as he popped the top off directly under Jay's nose. "Watch closely."

It was near on theatrical in appearance and a few seconds was all it took before Jay's eyes had turned from blue to yellow red. His usually calm smile and friendly demeanour gone in a heartbeat as he turned feral and bared both sets of deadly razor sharp teeth at the one who held the blood. Jay lurched forward grabbing Alan's arm, the one holding the blood in a vice like grip.

Jay had been close to breaking the bones in Alan's forearm until the clang of metal was heard in conjunction with the sound of a dull thud as the bar made contact with someone's skull.

"That's gonna leave a bruise..." Alan half whined, looking at his arm and the appearance of a red hand shaped bruise.

"You just flat out whacked him with that and you're more bothered about your arm?" Lloyd whispered and shook his head as he poured water onto Jay's wound. He was doing as he had been ordered, keeping the head wound wet and free from the scent of blood, because it was now largely apparent that Jay was a vampire, as had been suggested earlier. "Sorry Jay..."

"I reckon we got half an hour before any of them come up here to check on him. You gonna stay here and give them an excuse or what?" Alan asked as he got into position at the business end of Jay's now deadly razor sharp maw.

"No." Lloyd shook his head. "I'm coming with you, I'm not leaving him no matter what."

 _I made a promise today that I wouldn't leave him and I' damned if I'm gonna break it._

Eddie nodded in response, shrugging his shoulders. "Fine, then it's gonna be your funeral buddy if this don't go to plan. You okay with that?" Eddie had lifted Jay's legs with difficulty, being that Jay was a few years older and somewhat slightly heavier what with his additional height over the two younger brothers, he was heavier than anticipated.

Lloyd nodded. "He won't hurt me." Of that he was never more sure, at least he hoped Jay wouldn't. "You want some help to get him into the van?"

Both brother's sweating nodded quickly and watched Lloyd led the way down the back stair case that Donald had built onto the back veranda.

* * *

"So where we going then? This is well off the beaten track?" Lloyd looked outside, the gloomy wet sky did nothing to ease his anxieties as they pulled up to what looked like an abandoned penitentiary.

"Just keep that head wound watered down. We can't be doing with him waking up just yet."

"He wouldn't have had a bleeding head wound if you hadn't hit him with a crowbar." Lloyd snarled out complying belligerently whilst pouring the warmed bottled water over Jay's head to wash the blood away. He had been told of the reason too. The scent of it would be enough to rouse Jay from his slumber. And, considering he could see Jay's sharpened teeth, he didn't want to chance him waking up whilst being in such a close proximity. He had to hope that the fragranced water would mask the smell of iron rich blood enough to calm these newfound vampiric senses.

"Well we were proving a point though and he vamped out on us." Alan countered. "What would you have done?"

"You didn't need to hit him around the head with it though, he's gonna have a monster black eye now."

 _And a new fricking scar too._

"Well, the other option was a stake..." Eddie offered, fist pumping Alan. "Crowbar seemed the better alternative, seeing as you want him _alive_."

The back doors of the van were opened from the outside and Jay was quickly dragged legs first out of the van, and onto a makeshift gurney. All the time following the entourage and pouring another bottle of water over the blood trail so Jay couldn't sense it.

 _God, I really don't like this._

Finally at a standstill, Lloyd took the opportunity and heaved Jay up by the armpits so his legs weren't dragging on the floor. And, for his care, he received a wary glance from Eddie, what with now being in such close proximity to the sharp and deadly end of this bloodsucker, otherwise know as Jay.

Some impossibly large metal doors began to open inwards and a couple of burly men were seen inside, standing guard almost. Although Lloyd wondered what or who they were guarding. It wasn't like there were living prisoners to watch anymore, spirits maybe judging by the eerie nature of the place and the fact so many death row inmates had met their ends here.

As soon the Frog brothers, Lloyd and the unconscious Jay were safely in the abandoned facility, the doors were locked and bolted from the inside. No one was going anywhere tonight, or so it seemed.

Reluctantly, Lloyd followed the Frog brothers and the other men who were carrying Jay. It was only then that he noticed the ever increasing amount of converged men as he walked further into this abandoned prison. Now feeling like a spare part, Lloyd attempted to support more of Jay's weight and remarkably, it was easier than he thought. Maybe the weight loss was more noticeable now because he hadn't eaten for a while and that was all beginning to make sense.

He kept a check of their current direction in case he and Jay needed to make a quick escape. The windows were barred, as expected, at was a prison after all. The doors were reinforced and the air con ducts were so high up it would be impossible to climb. The only way out were the doors.

Reluctantly and with a growing sense of dread, Lloyd carried on walking, holding Jay's hand as he did so. All this time looking around, he found they were walking down a long corridor, it seemed never ending though there was a literal light at the end of it. He figured that out of all the open doors of this eerie penitentiary they'd passed, the lit room ahead was their intended location.

And to make matters worse, it was almost as if he could feel Jay's life slipping away the closer he got to this room, feeling of self doubt nagging at him for not divulging it. Guilt for not allowing his brothers and Nya their chance to say goodbye to Jay.

Lloyd had taken their chance away and he felt wretched for doing it, for being the one who would be there during Jay's last dying breath. Because he had agreed to do it, to be the one to drive the stake in. Looking around himself, he sure as hell wouldn't be letting these guys do it. They didn't look to have a bone of sentimentality in them. Probably didn't have an ounce of empathy either.

Quite soon, too quickly for Lloyd to comprehend, they had arrived in the room that it was to take place. It was stainless steel in areas, some tiles missing here and there with not an ounce of sanitation anywhere, this room definitely wasn't sterile, it was filthy. the floor was covered in grime and what he assumed was unknown bodily fluids. Without thinking or being told, he along with Edgar and Alan Frog hoisted Jay up on to the metal table. metal arm plates were pulled out with thick leather straps attached at two intervals.

The colour fell from his face as dawning realisation fell. This was the room that deathrow prisoners would be given lethal injection. The table was testament to that, and the curtained window to Lloyd's side solidified his worst fears. He looked back at his brother then up at the time, it was fast approaching ten pm. Any later and it would be the fourth day. "How long will this take?"

"Seconds for him to bleed out."

"Why so quick?"

"Exit sites, there'll be more than one."

"Can I stay with him?"

"You might want this on then." The masked man handed over a clear plastic overall, similar to the one he was wearing. The only addition, he was wearing a surgeons mask, hair and face protection.

Lloyd took it and stepped to the side, careful not to touch the tray of assembled tools or the large machine that was plugged into the same generator as the lights were. Obviously the penitentiary didn't have power anymore, these guys had already thought of that, they'd brought their own generators and backups too. All of which were running and vented to prevent a build up of carbon monoxide. His green eyes continued to rove the room both him and his brother was in. The masked man obviously liked to think he was sterile but evidently he was anything but.

Additionally two drip stands laden with an extraordinary amount of clear fluids stood close by, one had enough blood that looked like it had been stolen from a recent blood drive.

Turning back to Jay, Lloyd watched hopelessly as Jay's clothes were cut off so this guy could get access to some good arteries, all the while choosing the best tubing to drain quickly. One leg had been uncovered, an arm too and finally Jay's head had been turned to one side. The man was marking out each artery before looking at Lloyd to see if he was ready. Arms and legs had been tightened onto the table he was going no where, anytime soon. Maybe a one way ticket to hell was all that was on the cards.

Lloyd nodded apprehensively and joined Jay's side. Grasping the top of his hand to avoid having his crushed in response. "I'm ready."

The minute he said it the first wide needle was pushed in to Jay's neck, the second quickly lined up and pushed into his leg and the blood as expected quickly pooled into buckets of acid, destroying it as it came out in a fast pulsing flow. The makeshift surgeon quickly and effortlessly placed a large bore needle carelessly into the other side of Jay's neck. Connecting it with a rapid flow bag of saline. One of the burly men was ordered to squeeze it tightly, whilst he attached another drip to Jay's femoral artery.

"Who is this guy?" Lloyd muttered feeling his hand being squeezed tightly.

"He was a good surgeon back in the day, disbarred for too many illegal surgeries though, too risky, but what choice we got?"

He wished he hadn't asked because he honestly couldn't feel any shittier than he did right now, hearing that had made it exponentially worse. And to make him feel like utter shite, Jay was beginning to struggle. His fading blue eyes had opened startled with the pain. Had he been in a hospital, they would have used some form of local anaesthetic to numb the pain, maybe a general for the excruciating agony too.

"It makes them bleed faster, pain,panic, an acute stress reaction."

 _Well duh, that's a given. I mean you're kinda bleeding him out..._

Lloyd had jumped startled by Jay's now wildly unrestrained dying element. At first the blast had blown out a panel of generator lights with the power surge, the generator had blown too, the whole thing was a smoking mess until it was wheeled out to prevent a fire. The more seconds that passed, Jay's power and strength waned until he could barely sustain a spark of static.

" _I'm Scared_ , Lloyd..." His grip was loosening.

Lloyd figured he was having a full on panic attack, that being the least of his worries, he was bleeding to death on purpose and he had no idea, just that he'd woken up in a room that wasn't the same room he'd fallen asleep in.

"I'm right here Jay." He wasn't sure if Jay could hear him anymore amidst the other noises in the room as the ancient looking defibrilator paddles were being prepped.

"I want..." Weak weary eyes turned with no strength to them as Jay stared shocked, breath stopping intermittently.

It almost seemed that he was holding his breath but Lloyd figured otherwise. Being in a hospital did have some benefits, it had information leaflets in the ICU; one of which was the signs of death. Lloyd looked at his watch nervously, wiping madly at the tears that fell.

Jay hadn't taken a breath for almost fifteen seconds, until he gasped, finding some hidden strength. "I w-want..." He tried to squeeze the hand he assumed was Lloyd's but he couldn't breathe anymore. He couldn't see the blonde hair, just an ever increasing amount of black dots swimming in and out of focus.

Lloyd watched helplessly as the empty bags were replaced with more. They were waiting for the fluid to run clear before pumping fresh O positive in. All the while wondering if this hard work was truly worth it. He was a vampire after all, and there were enough people here who would be happy enough to take him out, Lloyd too if he got in their way.

Finally, the fluid was clear and as a matter of urgency the blood was squeezed through just as quickly.

As much blood as they could get into him to not overload his system, to flush out the excess saline.

They had done it, Jay's body was full of fresh donated blood and hopefully, not infected at all, at least they figured he wasn't. Either way they weren't concerned, he was dead now because his heart had given up. There was no pulse anymore, he wasn't a risk to anyone.

If he was a vampire, well, he would be showing signs of something right now but there was nothing. He was still, a slab of pristine meat on a shiny metal table with arms and legs secured with leather straps. No chest movements at all, in fact, Jay was now as warm as the newly deceased would be.

An odd feeling to Lloyd, Jay was actually warm for once. "You can't leave him like this, you gotta do something," he pleaded, frantically. Wondering to himself why the man in the mask wasn't using the defib paddles as a matter of urgency.

"Y-you can't leave him like this..." He shouted in desperation, "Please, you gotta help him, do something." Lloyd was near enough on his knees until the absent Frog brothers reappeared and attempted to console.

The Frog brother's nodded solemnly at the masked and disgraced surgeon before fully joining Lloyd's side. And, only after Lloyd had shed a few tears of emotionally devastated anger they managed to pry his trembling hand from the metal table. The surgeon wouldn't have cared had Lloyd's hand still been there, he would've still paddled Jay's chest with or without anyone being clear.

The heartless uncaring bastard didn't even utter the safe word **_clear_** , he went straight in and applied pressure to Jay's chest after the more burly looking goon had finished with the similarly ancient oxygen mask. The paddles had been set at a moderate setting of 320.

Lloyd watched through teary eyes as Jay's body arced with the increased amps of electricity running rampant through his dead body. The smell of singing skin was just as bad as the acrid smell of acid burned blood. The whole thing was making Lloyd's stomach churn. This had all quite possibly been the worst decision he had ever made, as he watched the surgeon who cared little if Jay beat the odds or not, and the men who were helping because they were being paid to do this.

"You gonna stay with him?" The surgeon grumbled under his breath. Paddles thrown to the floor carelessly as the oldest heart monitor in the world revealed a pinprick heart rate that jumped around rhythmically and somewhat erratically as it began to settle into a regular pace.

Lloyd looked apprehensive as he took in the state of his battered brother. His chest was a patchwork of surface burns, but he was alive.

 _Alive_... _Oh my god, he's alive..._

Lloyd had rushed to Jay's side, grasping his hand without a moments hesitation. "I'll stay with him," he said, nodding in acceptance. "How long until he wakes up?"

"How long is a piece of string?" The surgeon shrugged, removing his black rubber apron and gloves. Annoyingly, his face mask and hair cap remained in situ, thus hiding his true identity to the only remaining individuals in the room with him. A simple nod of his head was required to notify the men who had convened to take away the buckets of human blood waste. "He might never wake up, it was a risky procedure after all, not guaranteed to work."

"It's up to you." Eddie whispered quietly. he wasn't even looking at Jay's body or the high probability that he was no risk anymore. "You want us to tell em or slip a note into the mail box tomorrow?"

Lloyd had to think hard. Whatever the choice he made was going to result in a heated argument between his brothers and Nya, and he would be the target of their annoyance and downright angered insults. Even if he had done this to protect them all, to help and protect Jay. But then, he couldn't do this completely alone, especially if Jay never woke up. His brother would still need round the clock care, and alone and here, Lloyd wouldn't be able to do that.

"Tell them when you get back, give me a few hours yeah?" Lloyd said, his voice quiet, sombre. "I need to spend some time with him before they get here."

"These guys are gonna be here for a few hours and no more, they'll be clearing the place of evidence." Alan interrupted, watching the men as they went about their work; oblivious to the three younger men who were watching them.

"Why?"

"Maybe to keep it a secret from the government here. It would make sense, I mean this whole place runs off evil, always has and always will." Eddie stated.

"They don't see or hear anything happening because there's always someone high ranking that covers it up so they don't have to do anything about it. Ha, if the rest of em knew what had been going on around here, or at the Widow Johnsons and Hudsons Bluff; this place woulda been nuked by now."

"What is that then, ignorance?"

"Plausible deniability." Eddie shook his head, getting ready to leave with Alan in tow. "We'll be back later, gonna get some supplies, drop off a note and we'll be back in a few hours, okay?"

Lloyd nodded his head. Though he didn't relish the idea of being alone in here with only the heavily unconscious Jay as company. He wasn't overly fond of the idea of being in an abandoned penitentiary either, specifically in the lethal injection room with the feeling of additional presences in here with him. "Don't be too long." he warned, focusing on Jay alone.

* * *

 _ **I promise the next chapter will be the last...this shortish horror has near enough come to a end. Though there could be an alternate ending, if I was so much inclined to make the team suffer.**_

 _ **An apology too. I've been busy working as a nurse, putting my new degree to use whilst proving a professional level of healthcare to those who need it. And, that as always has taken priority. I do get a few days off over the Christmas break though, I may be able to partake in a brandy Christmas pudding too. mmmm nomnomnom.**_

 _ **As always, thanks to my reviewers. RandomDragon, Master of Cupcakes, Ebony, Mayor of Ninjago city and everybody else who has reviewed..**_


	51. Killing the beast?

"I'm sorry for putting you through this." Lloyd mumbled.

"The alternative," he bit his lower lip. Glancing around the filthy room that had once been something as horrific as the place where all death row inmates were stripped of their lives. Even the viewing room could be seen out the corner of his eyes. "It was too risky, wasn't fair on you."

"It would have torn the team apart, eventually. We didn't have much of a choice, couldn't let you suffer."

Near silence all around. Steady breathing was all he could hear, that and the echo of his own voice. He felt so strange talking to himself out loud. Technically he wasn't talking to himself though. He was conversing with a non talking, half dead 💀, pre existing full vampire. Who could and would have bitten him without a hint of remorse.

Lloyd remembered how determined Cold had been. Even shuddered when Kai told him of the bloodlust before he bit Jay. Sadly, both bite marks would scar. Eddie had mentioned that fact. Vampires never marked, their skin healed rapidly. Mortals, not so much.

"You wanna know why we did it? What it was? They said to watch and wait." Lloyd shook his dirty sweat soaked hair out of his peripheral. "And by _they_ , I meant Alan and Edgar. They said if we waited any longer than four days, you'd change into one of the undead."

"Bit extreme I know, but you never really saw Cole or Kai when they were at their worst."

"I did though."

"I'm telling you now Jay, they were scary. Bit like you were earlier, when Eddie put the blood under your nose and you flat out tried to bite him." He shivered recalling the incident, it was so vivid.

"I guess what's done is done. There's no taking it back is there? He also said we won't know of the damage until you wake up. Like I said... _risky_."

 _If you wake up._

 _More silence._

"If you were a vampire you would've woken up and fought them off, I guess that's what they were hoping for."

"They we're expecting it."

"Honestly Jay, you should have seen the weapons they had, _for one person_..."

Feeling alone, Lloyd took a fleeting glance around the grimy room for signs of life to hold a double sided conversation with. For someone to talk to other than Jay who wasn't responding.

He didn't dare let go of Jay's hand, though it felt warm, that in itself wasn't much consolation. He needed to feel that steady thrum of Jay's pulse rushing through his hand. It was there, strong, not thready and weak like it had been.

It was still so lonely in here, with just his own thoughts to keep him company. Jay wasn't exactly his usual talkative self, this procedure had put pay to that aspect.

Lloyd wasn't sure when he had started talking to Jay, it had just happened because he didn't know what else to do. And yes,Zane's wise words were that even if the person was at deaths door, they would still be able to hear you. After a few minutes of what felt like an hour of solitude, Lloyd stared talking to Jay and he hadn't stopped.

"I hope you'll forgive me. This wasn't your fault, it wasn't really anyone's."

"I guess it was easier to blame Cole because he was so focused on Star and doing his own thing, screw everyone else."

"And I'm not mad at whoever thought it was a good idea to come here either, because that was my mom. She thought it would be good for us to relax and unwind. Chill by the beach for the summer."

"It never works out that way though, does it? Other things influence us, weather, girls, thinking of others before ourselves?"

"Hands up vote, worst brother award goes to...me." He grumbled. Holding Jay's hand up as well as his own.

"I'm sorry—"

A noise unsettled him from his somber mood and he jumped out of his skin when he saw his brothers enmasse.

* * *

"H-how long have you been standing there?" Lloyd asked, palpitations subsiding as he stepped to the side as the paramedics came through.

He stood back watching as they placed various pads onto his exposed skin. One radioed into the dispatch unit.

"Long enough," Kai replied. His arms crossing his breast and his expression annoyed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"We would've understood, considering." Cole had come over standing by Lloyd's side. "I mean, the whole changing into a vampire thing ya know? We would've listened, helped. There was no need for the secrecy."

The first thing he did was took Jay's hand, he squeezed it.

Lloyd shrugged, lost for words.

Within a few seconds, the room was lit up by torchlight 🔦. The paramedics took to individually taking Jay's vital signs.

"Blood pressure, 118 over 70. Pulse strong and steady, 66 beats per minute." The paramedic noted, writing his findings on a graph. He quickly pinched the juncture between Jay's neck and shoulder and he flinched. "Responsive to pain, that's a good sign."

"Any of you know his name, age and what happened?" The second paramedic queried calmly. He carefully opened each eyelid before shining his penlight to check pupillary responses to brightness. "Slowed response to light, his pupils very dilated."

"Substance use disorder?"

"Possibly, need fbc and lft's to rule it out."

"Jason Walker," Cole said, looking at Lloyd nervously. What possible excuse could they give for this? "He's not a user, anymore."

But then. He had been when he was in _her_ company.

"You sure about that?" The paramedic questioned.

Cole stood his ground. "I'm Positive." He growled.

The paramedic who was shifting Jay onto the pat slide, before sliding him onto the gurney. This whole dodgy setup looked like some sort of cultist thing. He, for one had seen similar before in this line of work, it was inevitable. Some of them never woke up, some had even stopped breathing altogether.

This looked like some strange practice where the person was technically dead for 45 seconds, and during that time they experience hallucinations that some could contest they had seen their dead relatives. Enough time for them to say one thing.

"He's 21. I don't know what happened, Lloyd?"

Obviously when the Frog brothers had left a few hours ago they must have contacted the paramedics on their citizens band radio device. And it would have been before visiting Lloyd's brothers, who were all at Donald's house after having a day on the beach and boardwalk. Alan and Edgar had been gone for a few hours at most, and this place wasn't exactly far off the beaten track despite it's run down appearance, it was sometimes a hot spot for illegal parties and the like.

"He wanted to speak to his mom one last time. He'd been suckered into this by the promise of closure. I tried to stop him, but he was dead set on it."

The good paramedic nodded. "Grief affects everyone differently. Still, this was a risky procedure. Jason is lucky to be alive. I think he must have someone up there who's looking out for him."


	52. Chapter 52

"Is he sleeping?" The paramedic queried. Pushing the gurney into the back of the cab before pulling the doors closed behind. Edging across to the far side, he quickly retrieved his controlled drugs case and took from it, two small glass ampoules. Snapping the tops from both, he tilted and measured out a small shot of opioid reversal then a small dose of adrenaline into two separate syringes before attaching needle tips.

"No, it's something else, reckon it's drugs based. Pupillary response alone tells us he's high," Removing the penlight from Jay's blown wide pupils he swept his eyes over the exposed skin of his patient. "Look at all these puncture marks..."

"It would make sense. Drugs you sure?" He came to sit next to his colleague, passing him both filled syringes in a sterile blue tray. "If it's drugs based, he needs naloxone then epinephrine to wake him. I've countersigned and measured enough to give him a boost and snap him out of whatever it is he's fighting."

"Thanks," he said, accepting both. "This whole place gives me the creeps. You know, he's what, the fourth this month to be found like this?"

"The first actually, the others were dead." The paramedic driver corrected, a grim expression on his face. "I'm gonna radio this in. Roads were clear in getting here, shouldn't take too long on getting to the hospital." Taking his time to squeeze past the working paramedic, he clambered into the driving seat. "I don't know why these kids keep coming here."

"I do, I've heard rumours." He said, rolling Jay onto his side. The man wasn't really wearing all that much, to begin with and most of his flesh was easily accessible. Effortlessly, he held him on his side and readied the pale thigh skin with an alcohol wipe. "The person who did this knew what they were doing. There are no signs of skin trauma anywhere. Ya know, the kind of trauma you see with users, there's no bruising. The one in his neck, synonymous with a central line placement. Only doctors and consultants give those, not kids off the street."

"Look, just do what you think is right, I've countersigned for both meds, besides, they'll do him no harm even if he hasn't OD'd." The paramedic reasoned, starting up the truck. "Dispatch, we're bringing in a Caucasian male, Jason Walker, approx age 21 largely unresponsive, possible D.O. You get that?"

"Resus status?" The radio crackled back.

"Breathing but critical. He's showing some signs of improvement but he's unresponsive. Over," The paramedic looked in the rearview mirror, his colleague was working tirelessly trying to find a good vein that hadn't already been punctured. He found one after the tourniquet was applied and attached a cannula. Releasing the naloxone into Jay's thigh and the epinephrine into Jay's buttock. He turned him onto his back and checked his vitals once more. "He's gonna hate us after this. His backside's gonna be sore for days."

"It'll wear off, it's a bit like a tetanus shot." The paramedic up front, just smiled. It was all part of their job. Besides, they had seen much worse too, more humorous as well. His hand remained on the emergency line. Crackles distorting the message coming through. "His family will be following. All relevant medical details will be given when they arrive. Over?"

"ETA, emergency admission?" Radio dispatch crackled.

"Emergency admission, blue and two's, we'll be getting there in fifteen minutes, maybe sooner. Over."

"Will he need blood crossmatching?"

"Negative, no open wounds to speak off, BP's holding fine, fluid isn't an issue."

A tap on the window. He wound it down and was met with the concerned eyes of a black-haired young man. Someone who was demanding answers. "Sir, we're going to Santa Carla Trauma centre. It's the closest."

"Will he be okay?" Cole asked, standing back to avoid his feet being crushed by the vehicle as it moved steadily off the mud track. He could see the other paramedic strapping Jay onto the gurney so that the journey there wouldn't be liable to send him falling onto the floor, rolling around like a corpse from a living dead movie.

He could've been cast as an extra, he had been a complete monster a little over an hour ago. Jay was a novice killing machine with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth who had been ready to devour and rip out the throats once the bloodlust took hold.

Now though, he was still. A serene look of bliss set upon his face as the chemicals began to work.

"Yeah, I believe he will now. See you at the hospital okay, the sooner we get there the better he'll be." He pushed his foot down and floored it. Radio receiver in one hand. He finished his message to dispatch. "He's not bleeding, no life-threatening wounds. We've already done blood samples. Enroute now."

"Okay, we'll meet you there." He stood back and watched anxiously when the lights flashed, holding his ears as the sirens blazed. Biting his tongue again, he turned to face Lloyd. And rather than shout or lose it, he wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close and feeling the shakes for himself. "It's okay." Lloyd looked like he was about to burst into tears anyway and the much-needed embrace helped to console him somewhat. "It's alright, everything going to be fine. What's done is done. I just wished you'd told us, is all."

"I'm sorry," he said, pulling away slightly so as not to wet Cole's black t-shirt. "It was all last minute, the Frog Brothers told me to swear secrecy and all that, the procedure couldn't have taken place if they had all of us there."

"You could have told us, though. We would have understood and kept our distance." kai muttered, joining their side. "It might have meant we could have got him help quicker."

"Who wants to be the one who breaks this to Nya then?"

All faces looked to the floor. Kai stepped away from Lloyd's side after offering a sympathetic squeeze to his brother's shoulder. "I'll do it. I'll drive back to Donald's and you guys can go to the hospital from there on out."

"Good idea, it is settled. Kai will notify Nya and Misako being that Jay is in no immediate danger. His vital signs were improving, therefore, we can assist as needed in the hospital until he wakes up."

* * *

A few hours had passed in the blink of an eye. The rapid electrical sinus rhythm of a strong beating heart.

Amidst the other patients here, there was someone who was waking up, confused and wholly disorientated to time and place.

It was nothing like last time. This was clean, relaxed and there certainly wasn't any blood. At least, he couldn't see any blood on his four hands as he waved them in front of his spaced-out grinning visage.

He had woken in recovery, startled by the bright lights and the spectrally colourful faces looking down at him. "Wh-where am I?" He mumbled, glad that there wasn't any plastic contraption in his mouth. "St-stay still," he ordered. His head was swimming, swaying as the faces in front of him seemed to be floating.

"The hospital." The Doctor replied, helpfully, as if it were fairly obvious.

Removing his sterile gloves after covering the puncture marks on the exposed arteries. He approached the side of the bed, calmly composed at having his patient awake and somewhat alert. "You're having a reaction to the epinephrine. We're counteracting that with something a little weaker."

Jay frowned, unsure as to when that had happened. His fingers were rainbow coloured like he had an aura surrounding him. "Side effects, mmm?"

"Hallucinations and blurred vision. You should be fine in a few hours. In the meantime, you'll be in MAU until your discharge home."

"MAU?" Jay slurred. "I get ta go home?"

"Yes and yes." The doctor handed over the patient details to the next consultant and stood forward. Clicking the brakes off the bed so it could be wheeled from ER to the elevators. "Medical Assessment unit, for less acute cases, short stay to you."

Jay nodded, happy with that. He groped around for his bed controller but ended up seeing four of those too.

"Let me help you with that." The nurse intoned, raising it so he could catch a glimpse of where he was going. Never once did he notice his entourage behind him. Each desperately wanting to check in, but scared if they did it might overwhelm.

"How are you?" His new consultant inquired. "Feeling any better?"

"A little." He shifted, moving his head to see a hospital bed being brought across to his side. And there he was, thinking that because he'd woken, he'd be allowed to leave.

"This is becoming a regular occurrence," The Doctor admonished. "Isn't it Mr Walker? Care to elaborate, how you seemed to be an inch from death only less than a week from your previous admission?"

Jay remained mute, his bright blue eyes looking to the side avoiding eye contact. He knew his consultant to be going over his most recent admission details and he cringed at that fact. It had seemed a different life almost because he wasn't that same person who had come in. He didn't feel the chills anymore, didn't pine for blood. Hadn't even thought about it, still wasn't.

"Dangerous hobbies?" He offered, weakly.

"Which would be?"

"Motocross." Begrudgingly, he shifted off the ER bed with assistance and straight into a warm hospital bed. The covers and blankets were pulled up to his chest and he was tucked in like a child.

Huffing in resignation, Jay pulled his arm away when the new nurse went to attach an iv bag to his cannula. He didn't want to see another one those things ever again. He could vaguely remember seeing a multitude of those iv bags hung up last night. Pumped full of Hartman's solution before being given what he had spotted as donated blood. He passed out before the procedure was completed. Could only assume that he had donated blood inside of him now.

Not to mention, he didn't really need another iv bag because he felt fine. Wasn't at all thirsty, maybe hungry for a cheeseburger and chilli fries.

"Motocross, so soon after your last hospital stay? Remind me next time to keep you in that little bit longer," He mocked, smiling.

Jay, although he knew the doctor was joking, the stern features of his face gave him no reassurance that the doctor would do just that, to prove a point. "Sorry, couldn't help it."

"Tell me then, what was it about motocross that got you into such a dangerous obsession with near-death experiences?" He asked, passing a jello pot and spoon.

Again he blushed. He took the offered jello and loaded some onto his spoon. Placing it into his mouth as he thought of an answer that didn't make him sound any more a lunatic. "Adrenaline?" He grinned, teeth tainted bright orange with the sheer amount of medicine soaked jello that he'd shoved into his mouth. His bright orange teeth now nearly matched his hair. But then, he wasn't very compliant taking his meds earlier so they were putting them into his food to counteract the adverse reaction.

He could remember everything. Even hearing Lloyd's voice soothing him. Telling him why he'd done it and then sickeningly apologising for it too.

"It was the adrenaline rush that made you do this?" The doctor chastised. "It was risky."

"Dunno." He shook his head looking out of the window. No matter what he said, he sounded like a loon. "I guess."

Jay edged out of bed, woozy and sick of the questions. He didn't want to stay in it any longer than he needed too. He felt too warm, or maybe it was the room. But then, the continuous prods and pokes at him for the past three hours hadn't helped either, that had just been plain annoying. He went to stand near the window. At least that was providing him with a cool breeze. Something to look at rather than the doctor admonishing him for the reckless behaviour that he had nothing, at all do with.

This hospital was the same as the one before. But rather than being in ITU and at the back of the hospital, he was in MAU's recovery suite. The short stay ward for patients who weren't critically ill.

There was no timescale in ITU. You stayed until you woke up and if you didn't then there you remained. Here, in the Medical assessment unit, most people would only stay for a few hours, a day or two at most.

"Do you think that if you have some visitors, you might be capable of more than one-word answers?"

"Sure." He nodded, rubbing the ache from his backside.

"If you're ready for that," He said, nearing Jay. A hand placed on his shoulder. "You don't have to?"

"Yeah." Jay replied, then mentally facepalmed at the one worded reply. "Yes, I'd like that." God, this was embarrassing, he felt like a school child again.

"In that case." He peered outside the door, and called quietly, motioning everyone over with his hand. "You can come in."

Cole had come over first. They didn't want to bombard him so soon after he'd woken up. "Is he okay? Better?"

"Take a look and see for yourself." The doctor motioned, allowing Cole to step foot into the room.


	53. Chapter 53

The room, like the other one Cole had been in last week, was minus the whirring beeping resus and ventilator machinery. This one in comparison was better, quieter. Short stay MAU, had some more niceties which included a tv that seemed to have some weird and wacky version of He-man on. Then he saw dado rails, picture frames and a leatherette armchair in the far corner. Hideous green floral curtains, to match the colour of the MAU of short stay green. No doubt these were the type of curtains that Misako would love, she probably even had the same fabric in her own home. She really did like green.

Once the curtains were opened, as Jay seemed to be currently doing. From what Cole could see from the door; gave a view quite literally to die for.

Then was Jay, the only other person in here apart from the doctor who was making to leave. He was purposefully holding the gaping hospital garment closed at the back. Having quickly figured that the draught was because he was wearing a rather fetching hospital provided gown. Striped, white and open-backed for ease of access no matter the procedure.

Cole was glad in a way. The last thing he wanted to see upon walking in here was Jay's naked butt staring back at him. Heck, the only one who had seen that part was Nya and she was waiting her turn outside. He knew he wouldn't able to hold for long, but this was just a simple hello to make sure was okay after seeing him laying in an abandoned prison on what would have been death row.

"Jay?" He called, timidly. This was a hospital after all. The only loud noises allowed were from those of the patients having procedures done or giving birth. Quietness and respect had to be adhered to for visitors.

Woozily, he turned to the sound of his name being called. His bright blue eyes locking onto his best friend. "Hi," he said _waving_.

Relief slowly washed over him. Vividly, remembering seeing Jay strapped up to machines the last time he was here. Such a rapid recovery should have raised eyebrows in the medical field but then doctors were always pleasantly surprised when patients beat the odds and pulled through despite the initial diagnosis.

None had quite beat the odds like Jay had. He'd been dead, blood volume was dangerously low, his heart had stopped beating in the car. Only barely managing to be brought back with defib paddles. His core body temperature had been cold, hypothermic. As cold-blooded as the vampires who had kept him. His reluctance to eat, ability to see everything in the pitch darkness; these should have all been red flags or warnings.

Now, a totally new leaf had been turned.

The lightning elemental was lapping up the sunshine, he was warm and loving it. Taking in as much vitamin D as his body would allow. He remained by the window and the sun seemed to be sparkling on the auburn strands of hair as he peered across the busy carpark filled with a colourful mirage of cars and further afield the coastline.

Cole thought it looked like Jay was holding on to the window ledge when he came to join his side.

He was, Jay appeared to be holding on for dear life. Evidently, the room was still spinning.

Jay smiled, stumbling to the table. "Do you want to sit?" He motioned Cole to a non-existent chair. The doctor procured one from the side of the bed.

He giggled, running his hand through his messy locks. "You look like a shop mannequin." He attempted to ruffle the black shaggy locks. Luckily his fingers eventually grazed something soft. "But more realistic."

Frowning at Cole's clothing choice though. "Mannequins have a better dress sense, Cole."

Laughing at Jay's mad antics, Cole tried his hardest not to smile when Jay almost completely missed his own chair and had to be further assisted by the nurse to sit.

It was only then that Cole saw the few colourful hospital bands that adorned Jay's wrist. Allergies, he was sporting a red band, falls risk a stripy yellow. Followed by a transparent stripe signifying his blood group and his ID.

"He's got an allergy to epinephrine. He had a severe reaction, should wear off soon." She soothed, pouring a glass of ice-cold water. Placing another Jell-O shot for him to consume. "These side effects will pass."

"Side effects?" He questioned. Thinking back to what Lloyd had mumbled. A possibility, of course, anything could happen after that hideously insane procedure. Jay was lucky to be alive and standing, conversing and smiling. So, bar his DNA changing, these side effects were nothing really. It was certainly refreshing though, Jay had never had allergies before, not even bee stings or pollen. So this was new, he could join Nya and Lloyd's little gang now.

Cole eyed the dessert with trepidation. Usually, he was a sucker for most things sweet, particularly chocolate 🍫 pudding cups. But he had also seen the nurse squirt medication into this one before stirring it into an orange gelatinous mess. So naturally, he refrained from sneaking a mouthful. "You look, uh better." He said, genuinely meaning it.

Despite the glassy-eyed stare. Jay looked the picture of health. Strangely enough when he and Kai had recovered from their bloodlust: they had still looked and felt like shit. Though, it probably hadn't helped that they'd fought hard for two days in a row and helped to repair Donald's home between those times.

"So do you," he giggled. "You look better."

"Haa, th-thanks."

"You were all there, I saw you."

"At the place, we found you? Yeah" he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "We got you help, brought you here in the nick of time, but no harm done. If anything-" Cole leaned in closer. "It cured you?

"Did it?" Jay queried. "Of what?"

Confusion etched onto his tired face. Now wasn't the place to talk all things monster, vampire or werewolf. They'd wait until they were back at Donald's before filling him in.

"How long have you been here?" He said, staring at Cole like he was looking at him with new eyes.

"All night. We followed the paramedics."

"I meant you were all there before it happened, You and Kai. It was different though," Jay mused. Spooning the jello with gusto. "I like this version of you better, you're lighter. Friendlier on the eyes."

 _Eyes aren't red, haa._

"Thanks." He smiled, unsure what to say or do about that statement. Unless Jay was referring back to his memory of the party. The one where he was expecting to be saved but ended up being the starter, main course and buffet. Plus, if that was the case; then Jay had lost a few days memory wise, probably never to get them back which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. "You're gonna be leaving here later. We're arranging your discharge home just waiting for the Pharmacy to get your meds together. It shouldn't take too long."

Jay seemed happy with that. Chilled was a more appropriate term as the master of lightning luxuriated on the leatherette armchair. "Good, I don't like it here."

"Why?" Cole queried, humour in his tone when he noticed Jay pulling a strange face. He knew it was more than likely attributable to the aftertaste of the vile tasting meds he'd consumed. Poor guy, couldn't catch a break.

Cocking his head as it were a given that everyone should know this and why Cole didn't was beyond him. "Uh, because I'm being prodded and poked every thirty minutes for obs by a grumpy doctor who wants to know my life history?" Jay shrugged, placing the spoon back in the pot.

"Yeah, I bet that sucks?" Cole mentally facepalmed. Cringing at his word choice. Was he ever going to be able to get over that, or get it out of his head? Teeth sinking into that soft flesh, sucking hard. Spurned on by kai's groans of pleasure. Instead, he shook his head and sympathised. "You didn't actually come in here with anything much, other than the bedclothes you were wearing initially. Which means Misako has been back to Donalds to get you a change of clothes."

"What happened to my pj's?"

"Your body went through a massively traumatic experience. They've been incinerated, covered in blood and other bodily fluids. Dude, you're lucky to be alive and you're worried about the pjs?...Perspective man," he laughed, ruffling Jay's hair. "Seriously, if you loved them that much, I'll buy you another pair. God knows I owe you big for all this crap."

"Don't, Cole. Don't you do that." He admonished. He already knew that Cole was shouldering the blame. Kai would be too to a certain degree.

"Also," he motioned Nya over to join them. "Someone else wanted to see you. She was kinda desperate. Well, we all were. Had to draw straws just to see who'd be the first."

She had literally run into the room. Sideswiping the nurse and her meds tray. It was clear to see that she'd been crying but all that flew out of the way when she saw Jay stand at her unexpected appearance.

Her arms wrapped around his chest. He'd raised himself at the sudden commotion and appearance, nearly toppling backwards at the force of her greeting. Naturally, his arms and hands had found their way around her waist and he pulled her flush against him, using the wall as support.

"I'll uh, just give you guys some privacy then," Cole smirked, making to stand as she kissed Jay with such tenderness verging on caution so he wouldn't break.

Suddenly, he didn't know where to avert his gaze. That seemingly delicate kiss had turned from innocently innocuous to carnal and dark. "I'm just going to uh..."

Jay's hands settled on Nya's derriere and he squeezed, shooting Cole a cheeky grin, winking as Nya placed sweet tokens of affection across his exposed neck. "A moment." Jay whispered, pleading at Cole.

"Doctor's gone guys, uh...don't take too long." He said, biting his lip as he left the two lovebirds to catch up on missed time. He closed the blinds as he left the room.

* * *

Jayaaaa - what do you need me to do? Give me more, I need to know more of what you need.


	54. Fin

The kiss broke naturally, neither gasping for breath. Both panting with the desire of the moment, lost in each other.

Jay's hands released from her hips and they slowly parted. Embracing, neither saying anything.

Nya laid her head on his chest, she could hear his heart thumping wildly against his ribs, could feel the hard palpitations. "I'm..." She paused, unsure of what to say.

Nothing she could think of saying would ever come close to how she felt again of hearing he had been hospitalised. So soon after last time too. Sure, Jay had been in hospital before, most of the team had. It was largely inevitable with their work and adrenaline junkie hobbies including biking and fighting and pushing themselves to their limits.

She saw him looking out of the window. Was he...homesick?

"I'm sorry." She said, feeling a little pathetic that she didn't know what else to say in this instance. She had nearly lost him last night, in fact, she wasn't sure how much more of this she could stand to take. For once, neither Cole nor Kai had been involved because neither had attempted to attack him as a trussed up young man. This time it had been Lloyd, and she had only been made aware of the issue when the car had screeched back onto the driveway and Kai had decided to be the one to break the news.

She wasn't mad or livid this time. Just disappointed at being kept out of the loop for the umpteenth time. Honestly, when were these guys going to start involving her in their plans?

"I didn't know, only found out last night."

But he shushed her with his finger. Placed it on her lips and held her close. He just held her tight, her back against his chest as both looked out of the window.

"Lloyd thought it was for the best." Jay shrugged. It wasn't going to be something he'd be able to forget in a hurry. This had actually happened and he found himself reliving it every time he closed his eyes. At least Lloyd might be able to provide some closure to that. "I think it was the only way to cure it."

"It was risky though."

Jay nodded. "Mhmm, incredibly. But then, if he hadn't have done it, I wouldn't be standing here with you now, in the sunlight, kissing your neck would I?"

She whimpered softly, feeling his lips on her skin, teeth nibbling at the pulse points.

He licked her vein, sucked on it, until the appearance of a bruise formed. Biting his own lip he closed his eyes and concentrated on something else. "Thinking of planning our future together. Because, if he hadn't have done it." Jay murmured, nuzzling her ear before kissing and nibbling the lobe. " I'd be a whole different me by now."

"How do you know all this?" She said, turning around gently in his arms. Nya was still aware he was poorly. "How can you be certain?"

"I heard what they said." Jay shrugged loosely. "I may have been sort of out of it but that doesn't mean I couldn't hear what they were saying."

"Even though you were out cold?"

He laughed softly. "I don't think I was out cold, just had a monster headache. Besides, hearing is one of the only senses that doesn't diminish. Even when people are in a coma..." He paused again, eyes stinging. "They can still hear what's being said."

"What did they say?" Did she really want to know? Would this solidify her further worry of how close he had been to passing over and giving in to the bloodlust? She knew she's been sheltered from the fight on purpose, hadn't seen the full ferocity of those vampires when they had attacked Donald's house. Neither had she been in the area when the shit went down at Ms Johnson's. Another thing she'd be taking up with her overprotective brother.

"They said that if the procedure wasn't completed before the fourth day, I'd be stuck as a vampire. Haa, I'd be a night Jay Walker instead of day Jay Walker." He smirked, laughing softly.

"I guess it worked then?" She said, staring into his blue azure eyes. So bright and mesmerising, almost as sparkly as the sea.

"It wasn't a 100% guarantee, only time's gonna tell?" His arms unwound from her side and he walked to the window again, looking down at the carpark below. "Like they said; risky."

Nya nodded, already missing his warm embrace. "What else did you hear?"

He was five floors up, solid concrete below. "Four possible outcomes that Lloyd agreed to before it could happen." He clicked his lips together. She tasted of cherry, smelled of vanilla spiced latte. Felt firm in his grasp.

"Which were?"

"Live as one of the undead, or be cured of the infliction," he said, taking a breath. "Die or..."

They were suddenly interrupted by the presence of the doctor and a green bag with a universal cross on it. "Your TTO's" He stated, placing them on the trolley table. "You're free to go home."

"TTO's?" She questioned quietly.

Jay smiled at her, pulling her close again. "To Take Out. Ha, sounds exciting right? Sadly it's not; it's just the med's that I need to take home. Though why I need a bag full is beyond me."

"What were you going to say?" She inquired, a frown on her face.

"Nothing, it's not important." He shrugged, picking up the clothes that Cole had left on his hospital bed. "I'm here, that's all that matters. Still eating, living and breathing. gotta count for something?"

"You ready to go?" Kai stood at the door frame, having grabbed the green bag rather than have Jay carry it. "The car's waiting at the pickup point."

"Yeah," Jay nodded, pulling his board shorts up before disrobing of his hospital gown. A final white t-shirt completed the look before he placed sunnies and canvas shoes. "You coming, Nya?"

She huffed a little. They really needed to talk. She knew that back at Donalds it would all be separate rooms again. Not that she was about breaking the rules all that much, she was beginning to miss the closeness she had once shared.

* * *

Then after a few better weeks of holidaying and enjoying the high life of being by the coastline. It was decided by all that they should head home, after all, the holiday season was drawing to an end. The patrons were dwindling on the fair rides, the stalls were packing up for winter and the majority of young revellers had gone home. Santa Carla, in the summer months' was alive. During the winter it was like any coastal city, barely surviving. The boardwalk fair only opened for certain events such as Thanksgiving or Halloween. Right now, it was all being boarded up to preserve it.

It had been a tearful goodbye for all, not least Donald who would be alone again for the next nine months.

Misako and Lloyd had left together for some bonding time. A sort of road trip across the States. A chance to talk things over.

Star and Cole, had agreed to keep in contact. He took her number, gave her a goodbye present she'd remember for a long time to come.

"You enjoyed the trip though, right?" Kai asked, unpacking the cases from the trunk. "I mean, despite all that happened, we all had a good adventure?"

Jay smiled, wheeling his bike from the trailer, happy with the new paint job Cole had paid for. "Yeah, of course. Some bits more than others though. Obvious reasons."

Kai shrugged, ruffling Jay's hair when he placed the bikes one by one on their centre stands.

"Sorry about Skylor though," Jay murmured under his breath. "She was quite the looker, hot too. Just your type."

Kai cringed at that memory. Though he had come to regret certain...no, most parts of that night, meeting Skylor had been the highlight. "She was wired a little differently though. A hotwire, sexy thing."

Jay murmured. "But, glad to be back home then?" The sky above was grey, had been all week much to Jay's pleasure. "Home sweet home?"

"Yeah, I've missed this place." He heaved the final piece of luggage and scooped up the thing that was falling from the pocket. It was the original tourist map, quickly and without thinking, he gave it to Nya. The map of Santa Carla for keepsakes of their joint travels.

"What is it?" She queried, catching the paper projectile before it had a chance to land on the wet ground. Hissing, she flicked her index finger, having caught the paper map. "Mm, ouch." She winced, "Damned paper cuts. They always catch you unawares don't they?"

Kai had wandered in to the monastery, oblivious to the laceration he had unknowingly caused.

Jay hadn't gone anywhere. He was stock still, something in the air was enticing him to act like a wild animal. He joined her side, almost immediately. Taking her finger, he placed it in his mouth gently and sucked it.

Such a naughty look on his face as he did it. His eyes sparkled malevolently, his lip quirked into a grin. "Better?" He asked.

"Well, it's not bleeding anymore." She reasoned. Allowing him to kiss her neck again. Obligingly, she pulled him against her and further into the garage. This seemed to be his favourite place to kiss her ever since being in the hospital. Not the garage, her neck.

"We can't, what if Kai finds us?" She mumbled, stripping.

He assisted her in the removal of clothes. Patience was never his strong suit. "He won't. You know he's a little OCD about unpacking right after a holiday." His lips again attacking her neck. That same cut finger of hers, he placed into his mouth and he sucked hard enough to cause it to perfuse purple at the pressure.

"And Cole?" She asked, breathlessly.

"He's asleep."

Then, as if a switch had been flicked, she became pliable, like putty. Moaning into his touch, keening softly as his lips trailed her neck.

Her neck again?

She shivered against his warmth and the increased friction. Despite it being early winter, both were incredibly warm in their birthday suits.

Previously, in the hospital, even at Donalds, Jay had been nibbling, biting and sucking at her pulse point. Always holding back at the last moment.

But not this time.

* * *

 _ **The end... maybe?!**_

 _ **Thanks for all the reviews**_


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